When The Big Apple Sleeps
by mininity
Summary: Getting involved with the Mafia wasn't exactly what Allen Walker expected upon his arrival in New York City. With his life on the line and emotions running high, Allen must work against time to free himself of a death sentence. To make it worse for the young photographer, he's falling for his partner, the attractive journalist Lavi Bookman. AU, Laven.
1. Chapter 1

_Bonjour mes amis! If this is your first time reading a story of mine: Bienvenue! If not, welcome back! This story will be updated every Monday and Friday._

_I hope you enjoy it - I certainly enjoyed writing it._

_Allen has his scar but not his cursed arm in this, however I have storyline involving the arm for a later date._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Allen Walker stepped off the plane a few minutes after it landed at John F Kennedy International Airport. Hoisting up his carry-on luggage – which consisted of a photography magazine, his phone, and a bottle of water that he purchased at Heathrow before his flight – Allen made his way through the airport to get to his other bags; the ones that contained the clothes he had brought over, and any personal items. Allen didn't have many personal items, just a professional camera that his adopted father had purchased for him on his birthday several years ago. It was worn with age, but Allen loved that camera; the snapshots it took were always crisp and clear and bright and colourful, and even though Allen knew he'd be parting with it when he got to the firm he'd been employed at, he couldn't rid himself of it.

It would stay in a safe somewhere in his new apartment, safe and secure but never used. It was too precious to just throw away like an old towel.

He pushed himself through the bustling crowd of tourists and New York businessmen to grab his personal belongings and walked out onto the busy streets of the lively city. He'd been told that a black car would be waiting at the airport to pick him up and drive him to Manhattan – his boss had then also apologised for the long journey that would befall him, not that Allen minded. He'd been travelling for most of his life with his guardian, Cross Marian, who had taken him in after his adoptive father, Mana, had died tragically in a car accident – an accident that had left Allen with unspeakable trauma for years, white hair, and a ghastly scar upon the left side of his face. Despite these afflictions, Allen was pretty – as many girls at his old school had appreciated – and kind towards his fellow human beings, something that might not get him very far now that he was in a city like New York.

He found the car he was supposed to be travelling in and greeted the driver with a large smile. The driver was a tall man with messy sandy-blonde hair – his long black coat had rolled up sleeves (probably not the way it had been sold to him, Allen deduced), and underneath he wore a white shirt with a light grey waistcoat and a plain black tie.

"You must be Allen Walker, correct?" he asked, removing the sunglasses with a style borrowed from gangster movies of the past. Allen didn't quite understand why the man was wearing sunglasses in the middle of January, with the snow covering the ground, blanketing the wildlife underneath.

"Yes, I am. It's nice to meet you Mr…"

"Wenhamm, Reever Wenhamm. You don't have to call me 'Mr', kid. I'm just an assistant to the boss – you can call me Reever if you wish." His accent wasn't a typical New York accent; in fact, to Allen, the accent sounded more foreign than his own.

Allen nodded, understanding the suggestion, which had sounded more like a demand than a request. He climbed into the back seat of the Volvo and strapped himself to the chair, a safety precaution that he had been adamant about ever since the car accident.

"Excuse me, Reever?" Allen asked once the blonde man had gotten into the driver's seat (on the wrong side, Allen had noted with a chuckle).

"Yes?"

"You don't sound like you're from these parts," Allen inquired, hoping he wasn't hitting a sore spot with the question.

"You are correct, I'm Australian. Born and raised in Brisbane."

"I had a feeling you weren't American. How long have you been working for…" Allen glanced at his employment papers quickly. "Ciancia Magazine?"

"For almost five years now," Reever replied, looking up at Allen through his rear-view mirror. "I take it you've never worked for a large company like this before?"

"Well, no," Allen replied. He was a new graduate, having only just finished his photography course at Kingston University in London. "I have interned for some newspaper branches though."

"That's good. You know, the boss really liked your work, kid. I've never seen him get so worked up over something like that before. 'We must hire this kid immediately!' was what he said, and before you know it, you were on the plane."

Allen let out a soft chuckle. He glanced at the portfolio seated next to him – it was the portfolio he'd sent over to Ciancia Magazine for them to look at. Cautiously, Allen flipped through the large book quickly, taking brief glances at every photo he had taken over the past four years during his course at Kingston. "They're not that impressive," Allen said, modestly.

"Don't be that way – Koumi wouldn't have hired you if you hadn't been good. You're in luck, one of our photographers is transferring over to another magazine—" Reever hadn't said that with a spiteful tone, Allen noted, "—and we needed a new one. Luckily, you're just the guy we were looking for."

"So, what does my job entail?"

"Ah, you better ask Komui that question, really," Reever responded, never taking his eyes off the road before him. Allen left the conversation at that – any other questions he had about his job would end up receiving the same answer regardless of the content.

"So… Who will I be working with?" Allen asked once more after a few moments of silence, Reever's eyes meeting the pale grey ones in the mirror for a second before returning to the road.

"What?" Reever asked. He had run a few possible questions through his head before settling on playing a blind eye.

"The job description said I'd be partnered with a journalist."

"Ah, yeah," Reever trailed off, scratching the stubble on his chin. "Like I said, you're better off asking Komui that… From what I know you'll have the journalist whose partner was our old photographer. You'd better be careful; if my memory serves, he's the one who despises amateurs."

Allen gulped, the collar of his smart, white shirt tightening around his throat as he began to feel uncomfortably warm. He wasn't very good with confrontations unless the situation demanded it. And he definitely didn't like the idea that he was going to be discriminated against due to his artistic ability.

"A-ah," Allen muttered in understanding before he stared out of the window, looking at the tall buildings passing him by. "Where are we?"

"Atlantic Avenue. We're a while from West End Avenue, where Ciancia is, so you can sit back and relax if you'd like."

Allen twiddled his thumbs nervously; he really didn't think he'd be able to become relaxed even if he desperately wanted to. He laid back into the black leather seat and closed his eyes, trying to sleep off the jet-lagged feeling from the long flight. His deep breathing became silent as he slipped away into slumber.

"Allen?" Reever called, shaking the young man gently, his strong hand clutching the grey-eyed boy's shoulder tightly. "Allen, wake up."

Allen opened his eyes slowly and blinked twice, his vision coming into focus and taking in the surroundings before him. He was sat before a large grey building that dominated the clouded sky, towering over Allen, who suddenly felt extremely tiny. The white snow had been trampled on and was now a grey mess from pedestrians trailing through it on their way up and down the pavement. Small trees had been planted in front of the building, their bare branches laced with delicate white snow, bending under the weight.

Allen unclicked his seatbelt and grabbed his portfolio and the credentials he would need when he met his new boss. Reever was leaning against the car door, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and placing it in between his lips. As Allen climbed out of the car, a flurry of red hair came bounding out of the building and rushed over to Reever, a grand smile on his face. He had a single green eye, the other covered by an eye patch. He was clothed in a white shirt, grey blazer, and navy scarf, along with black slacks and black dress shoes. The stranger reached up and grabbed the cigarette out of Reever's mouth before placing it in his own and snatching the lighter that the Australian had only just pulled out of his pocket.

"Thanks, dude!" The redhead said as he took a long drag on the cigarette before pulling the object out of his mouth and blowing the smoke from between his lips – almost gracefully, Allen noted – before noticing that Allen had been standing there, watching with a dumbfounded expression. "Sup!" He greeted before taking a stroll down the street, the puff of smoke trailing behind him.

"Damn it," Reever cursed, patting his pockets for an extra cigarette. He looked at Allen with a pleading look who returned it with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Sorry," he said. "I don't smoke."

Reever nodded and placed his hands in his trouser pockets helplessly. "I really hope you stick to that. I never used to smoke until I came here."

Allen smiled politely. He was disgusted by the smell of cigarette smoke, and the fact that two people he'd just met smoked made him a little discouraged, but he put on a brave and indifferent face – he wanted this job.

Reever walked Allen over to the front door and opened it for him, nodding at the two secretaries at the front desk. One was a young girl of Chinese descent; she had long dark hair that was pulled back into a high knot that gave everyone a full view of her pale and slender neck. The woman beside her had dark eyeliner around her eyes, her irises darting left and right suspiciously – probably spooked by the whirlwind that was the cigarette thief. Her long dark hair was loose and curly and framed her pretty and young face. "Afternoon, Lenalee, Miranda."

"Hi, Reever!" The young Chinese woman greeted in return, offering the blonde a large smile.

"H-hi…" The other woman greeted timidly before distracting herself with the stapler on her desk and avoiding all eye contact.

"Ready to meet the boss?" Reever asked.

Allen took a deep breath and glanced down at his portfolio with insecurity before looking back at Reever's face with confidence. "Yes," he replied.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello once again!_

_Thank you to **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**,** Hanashi o suru**, and** DGrayManFanatic** for your reviews!_

_And of course, thank you to everyone who followed and favourited!_

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

The boss's office was a large, spacious white room, decorated with a lone violet -coloured flower – the only source of colour in the drab and empty room. Everything was blank. Pure. Dull, but bright at the same time. The chair was white, the desk was white; everything in this room was _white_. It made Allen's head spin; outside was white, and inside was white.

Komui Lee, a young Chinese man with long dark hair held down with a white beret, hummed approvingly as he skimmed through all of the documents that allowed Allen to work at his firm. He was wearing a white shirt underneath a grey jacket and grey trousers. No tie on him, Allen noticed as he tugged on his own in discomfort. Komui looked up, a happy glint in his dark eyes as he removed his glasses and laced his hands together. "Well Allen, looks like everything's in place."

Allen breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good news."

"I'm rather excited to have your talent on my team. Now, your partner whilst you are here…" Komui stood up from his seat and began to walk around his desk, his right hand brushing against the glossy white surface.

"Ah, Komui," Allen started before he could stop himself. "I mean… Mr Lee…"

Komui gave the young man a polite smile. "Komui is fine, none of us here are that formal. We're a family at Black Order Publishing."

"Okay." Allen gulped before continuing. "My partner… I'm a bit of a rookie in this game and I don't want to be victimised because of this… and…"

Komui raised an eyebrow and sat back into his white seat. "… You won't be victimised, Allen, I assure you. Everyone starts off as a rookie, no one is perfect at anything when they first start, but if you have any problems do not hesitate to tell me, okay?"

"Yes, Komui."

"Excellent. Now, shall we go and meet your partner?" Komui asked, picking up Allen's portfolio whilst rising out of his white seat once more and made his way to the white door. "I have no idea if he's back from his smoke break yet, though."

Komui opened the door and lead Allen out of the editorial section of the firm and down towards where the writers were – on the 6th floor. Allen wasn't sure what the other floors consisted of. He knew printing was a big part of the magazine world, but other than that it was a mystery. Komui took the stairs, as he claimed that there was no point using the elevator to go down only one floor. Allen followed aimlessly, looking around anxiously. Strange people looked over their computers to watch the young man walk by, bewildered by his appearance, whilst others flashed a smile at Allen as they answered their phones or began conversations with other employees.

A loud bang attracted Komui and Allen's attraction as a tall Asian man stood up, one had on the desk in front of him, another clutched into the pale blue shirt of his colleague. "Want to say that to my face?" He snarled.

The man he was holding turned pale and shook his head quickly. "N-no, Kanda!"

"Cheh, I could've guessed." The man released his grip on the blue shirt and watched as the man took off running out of the office. His hurried footsteps echoed around the large room until it faded into silence.

"Kanda, what have I told you about your attitude?" Komui scolded, using his middle finger to prop his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

"Cheh. He started it."

Komui's scolding tone never relented. "You need to be nicer. I can't keep switching pairings around just because you can't keep your temper down. Now, have you seen Lavi anywhere?"

"Pfft. No. That lazy asshole probably fucked off somewhere."

Allen gawped at the stranger; he'd never heard anyone swear in front of their boss so casually before. The Brit was curious how Komui would take it, but to his surprise, the Chinese man took it in stride.

"Thank you, Kanda. Now, back to work."

Kanda glared at Komui before sitting back down on his seat heavily and slamming his fingers against the keys of the keyboard menacingly. Komui turned to Allen with an apologetic smile. "I believe the partner you were talking about was him, Yuu Kanda. But relax, you have Lavi Bookman. He's an eccentric figure but you'll warm up to him."

Komui continued their walk through the office before they came to a stop in front of a messy desk – old, empty, takeaway cups of coffee were strewn about; burger wrappers were crumpled up and stashed behind the computer monitor; and random sheets of paper were out of order. The dated messes were stacked along the end away from the rubbish on the main side of his desk. His monitor was a black screen with neon green writing crawling across it which Allen could read if he squinted: "If you can read this, I'm on a break. Sorry!"

Allen felt his eye twitch as he glared at the mess in front of him angrily. "Surely you're kidding about this, Komui," he pleaded with his boss.

"Unfortunately, I'm not. If he were here, he'd be able to introduce himself, but he's not, so—"

"Whoa! Watch out!" A loud voice yelled as the elevator doors pinged open. A loud-mouthed redhead walked up the walkway, almost walking into a young woman carrying a large stack of papers, ignoring the dirty looks she shot his way. Allen could feel his blood pressure rise. It was the guy from before – the one who stole Reever's cigarette as he was getting out of the car. Allen cursed his bad luck as the redhead strolled up alongside his desk and stopped, staring at the crowd in front of him as he smiled nervously. "H-hey, Komui… What's goin' on?"

Komui placed a hand on Allen's shoulder gently and cleared his throat. "This is Allen Walker, your new photographer. Allen, this is Lavi Bookman."

Lavi moved forward gingerly, eyeing Allen with a scrutinising gaze, his lone green eye falling on Allen's scar; sympathy flashed through his emerald irises momentarily before disappearing and being replaced by the cheeky glint that he had had before. He placed an arm around Allen's neck and pulled him close. "It's nice to meet you! I guess we'll be partners from now on. Are you free tonight?"

Allen stared at Lavi in suspicion. "… Not really, I have to unpack all of my stuff."

"Oh! That's right! You literally came from London not too long ago! How is London? Is it nice?"

"_I_ think it is," Allen replied, trying to shrug Lavi's arm off to no avail – the man's grip was strong.

"I've never been to London. I wanna go, though."

By now, Komui had retreated and gone back up to his office, leaving Allen's portfolio behind. However, some of the other employees were watching Lavi and Allen in amusement as they grabbed a cup of water from the cooling tank near their desk.

"Maybe you could take me!" Lavi suggested, a large grin upon his handsome features. "Whaddaya say?"

"I say… get off me, please?" Allen requested, ducking from Lavi's reach and walking behind his desk. The redhead watched him before doing the same, pulling his chair out from underneath and sat on it, leaning back and slouching. Allen held a finger to his lips and looked around. "Erm…"

"What's up, Newbie?"

"Don't call me that."

"How about Shortstack?"

"Why would you even come up with a name like that?" Allen asked, perturbed by the way Lavi was quick to come up with nicknames.

"Your height gives it away mostly, shortie." Lavi rested his hands against the back of his head and stretched. Any excitement Allen had had left one arrival in the new city had left instantly, never to return.

"Can you stop giving me nicknames, thank you? Anyway, I was going to ask where my desk is, but…" Allen looked at the bare desk behind Lavi's, the chair sitting underneath it comfortably. "I think I've found it."

"Ah, careful with that chair…" Lavi began as Allen pulled it out with force and brought the back away from the seat. Allen gaped at the two objects in offence. "It's broken," Lavi finished before swivelling around on his chair and bringing his arms down to click at his mouse, activating the computer.

Allen glared at Lavi's back in distaste before fixing the back of the seat back into its place, sitting on it carefully, and resting against it. He heard a snap before the back broke away once more and Allen toppled over backwards and onto the floor, shutting his eyes on impact. Allen opened his eyes after a few moments. Lavi was staring down at Allen in bemusement before offering out a hand to help the younger man up. "We'll get you a new chair tomorrow. Promise, Beansprout."

"What did I just — Augh, forget it!" Allen cried as he turned his computer on and clicked at the mouse angrily. Allen already hated this job and he hadn't even begun.


	3. Chapter 3

_I apologise for the late update, I hope you like this chapter._

_Thank you to **Hanashi o suru**,** z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**,** blueeyedcorpse**, and **PoisonousDemon** for your reviews! _

_And thank you to those who favourited and followed._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

For his first day, Allen found his job to be pretty intense. The moment he'd sat down, Lavi had received a call from the higher-ups with a job for the two. Lavi had grabbed his keys instantly and tapped the Brit's shoulder. Allen looked around, dazed, at the redhead who jabbed his thumb in the direction of the elevator. Without another word, Allen grabbed his trusty camera and the two made a beeline for the exit.

They were now sat in Lavi's car, with the engine cut and the visors pulled down, and Allen's camera was armed and ready. The redhead was laid back in his seat, his arms behind his head as he yawned loudly. Allen shot the man a distasteful look before returning to his eagle-eyed watch for their prey. That was until Allen realised he had no idea who they were looking for.

"… Who is it that we're supposed to be on the look-out for?" He asked uncertainly.

Lavi yawned again, this time covering his mouth with his hand, before answering. "She's a young idol." Lavi handed the photographer the picture of her. "Her name's Road Camelot and she's part of the Noah Ark Records."

"Noah Ark Records?" Allen questioned. "Are they popular?"

"Are they popular?" Lavi mused over the question. "I guess to young people… sure. I'm not much of a fan, too pop and not enough rock for me."

"Rock, eh?" Allen echoed. "I could've guessed you were into that kind of stuff, considering your appearance."

Lavi sat up straight quickly, offence written over his face. "What about my appearance? I work hard on it, y'know!"

"I never said it was a bad thing. I mean, the hair, the eye-patch, the obvious but discretely-hidden band shirt beneath your white shirt…" Lavi instinctively pulled his collar up with a bashful smile before coughing into his hand awkwardly.

Allen smirked as he focused his camera to the restaurant outside which they were parked, opposite the entrance, waiting for the young pop star to exit with the alleged lover of hers. "Why does it matter who she's dating?" he asked finally.

Lavi brushed his hair out of his face before looking at the novice with an incredulous look. "What do you mean why? This is our job, newbie! People just want to know who she's dating…"

"It's invasive," Allen countered, lowering his camera ever-so slightly.

"It's business."

Allen huffed in annoyance before holding his camera back up and looking through the lens, waiting and listening. Lavi pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, placed the butt to his mouth, holding a lighter at the other end, and lit the stick, smoke wafting and curling as the redhead took a long drag and exhaled the smoke. Allen began to cough violently and wafted the poisonous smoke from his air. "Could you crack a freaking window!?" He asked, his nose wrinkling in disgust as he glared at Lavi with as much disdain as he could muster. The older man shrugged his shoulders, turned the engine on, rolled his window down, and held the cigarette limply from the window, smirking at Allen's reaction.

"I've never seen someone react so violently," he commented, taking a long drag and blowing the smoke out of the window into the cool evening breeze.

"Smoking's disgusting," Allen muttered, his eyes never leaving his camera and the scene in front of him.

"Meh, I agree with you, but I'll be damned if I stop. This job is just too damn stressful."

Allen grumbled something in the back of his throat, the words not leaving his lips before a young woman walked out of the restaurant; her spiky and obviously-dyed purple hair sported a small top hat decorated with lace, and she was wearing what one would call "gothic attire": it consisted of a long sleeved, lacy, dress that cut above her knees. The bodice was tied tightly at the front and the ensemble was finished with long black boots. It wasn't her clothes that the pair were interested in, however, no matter how much Allen was fascinated by how such an eccentric woman could be so popular in the US. Lavi threw his cigarette to the ground, rolled his window, and hunched over the steering wheel, killing the engine and turning silent. Allen's breath hitched in his throat as an older gentleman walked out alongside her, holding her arm delicately as he waved to whoever was inside the establishment.

"Now!" Lavi ordered as Allen snapped picture after picture of Road with her strange new beau. The man opened the door to the black limousine that was parked outside the restaurant and Road climbed inside before the man followed suit. Moments later the vehicle had left and both Lavi and Allen released the breath they'd been holding in anticipation.

"Who was that?" Allen asked finally.

"…I have no clue. He looks familiar." Lavi grabbed Allen's camera and checked through the snapshots he had taken; the man was also wearing a top hat and a long black coat. His dark hair was slicked back underneath the hat and his dark skin shone from the illumination of the restaurant behind them. "…Tyki Mikk."

"Who?" Allen questioned, throwing himself forward to look at the photos. Lavi felt Allen's soft skin brush against his own and he jerked back, holding the camera away. The Brit gave the redhead a very weird look before he sat back in the passenger seat. "Can we go now?"

"Sure… Wanna get some doughnuts?"

"What?"

"We'll be at the office for most of the night writing the article—"

"Whoa, I've done my bit!" Allen argued, pointing at the camera that was still in Lavi's clutches. "Why do I have to do more work?"

"'Cause we're a duo, newbie. You're the Robin to my Batman, the Bonnie to my Clyde, the Rosencrantz to my Guildenstern."

Allen did a double-take at the last one. "_What_?"

"Never mind. Anyway, my point is, I was by your side for your part and you're not leaving mine until I'm done."

"You make it sound like we're married."

"A partnership is like a marriage, bro." Lavi started his engine up once more, pulled up and out of the parking lot, and made their way back to Black Order Publishing.

* * *

The office was deserted when the pair returned, which brought a question to Allen's mind. "How long have we been out?"

"We left at two and it's now gone eight, so… roughly six hours."

Allen slumped against his chair once they reached their coupled desk, and Lavi set down the doughnuts in front of the exhausted newbie – Lavi would soon find out how much of a mistake that was – before sitting down at his desk and swivelling around to Allen.

"Turn your computer on, pal. I need your photos."

Allen nodded as he opened the doughnut box with one hand and flipped the switch with his other. He slid the SD card into the slot and clicked the pop-up twice. The photographs he had taken developed instantly before his eyes and the white-haired boy felt a sense of pride build in his chest. Quickly, he selected the photos from earlier and sent the folder in an IM to his partner.

"Hand me a doughnut," Lavi asked, holding an arm behind him, his hand outstretched. Allen placed a glazed cruller in the palm before stacking a maple iced glaze, a chocolate glazed, and a powdered cake on top of each other, stuffing the top one in his mouth, and chewed hazardously. While he waited for Lavi to finish, Allen clicked open a browser and typed in Road Kamelot.

Several online articles popped up, most of them announcing Road being the youngest starlet to receive an album of the year Grammy at the age of 18 for her new Album _Seven Deadly Sins_. Allen raised an eyebrow in interest as he swallowed and popped the second doughnut into his mouth, and clicked on the video of her performing live at the award show. The song blared out through the speakers and both he and Lavi jumped in surprise.

"What the hell?" Lavi questioned, looking back to Allen's monitor. "Aah, checking out the person in interest. Good idea, newbie."

"Please stop calling me that," Allen pleaded, his eyes not leaving the screen as the young girl skipped across the stage, holding a black microphone to her purple painted lips. She was wearing a mini top hat again, this one pink to match her fitting pink puffy dress and what appeared to be her trademark, black boots. Her dainty hands were covered in pink lace gloves; on her ring finger was a large ring, studded with a dark purple stone.

"No can do," Lavi returned, turning back to his screen. "You're a newbie. It's an office thing. I was a newbie once and you're the newbie now. So, suck it."

Allen rolled his eyes as he clicked on another article, his mind absorbing every little detail about this young starlet. The man she was seen with earlier never made an appearance beforehand – it was almost as if he never existed until today. Allen sat back and placed the final doughnut from his stack into his mouth before excusing himself to get a cup of coffee. That man… just who exactly was he?


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello again!_

_Thanks to **PoisonousDemon**, **blueeyedcorpse**, **Guest** (who I assume is **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**), and **Anon of Anons** for your reviews._

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

The new sunlight disturbed Allen from his deep slumber as the bright rays flickered through the crack in his old curtains. He opened one eye with a pause and looked around in a sleepy haze before closing his eye once more and turning over, tugging the sheets with him. His nose bumped into something soft and then became overwhelmed with the scent of lilies and jasmines. He opened both eyes this time and found that he'd buried his nose in red hair. The owner of the hair then groaned and tossed himself onto his back, his arm flying up and punching the sleepy white-haired man right in the cheek. The boy jerked back instantly and sat up, glaring down at his bed partner. Lavi's mouth hung open as a deep, rumbling roar of a yawn emerged from the back of his throat and his chest rose with every gurgled inhalation.

Allen was perplexed as to why Lavi was in his bed and sleeping next to him – had he gotten drunk the night before? Allen could remember the night clearly almost as if his memory were playing back a film.

Allen had returned with his cup of coffee, the scent-carried steam wafting into his nose, almost waking him up from the fatigue he had picked up from the long flight and a long afternoon of doing nothing but sitting in a car, surrounded by snow, waiting for an idol.

Lavi was hunched over his desk, typing rapidly, not looking up from his keyboard as word after word flooded onto the open document on his monitor. Allen watched in awe, amazed that this hard-worker before him was the same idle idiot from earlier. Allen glanced down at his untouched coffee before placing it next to Lavi with a small smile. Lavi looked up quickly, giving Allen a warm grin and taking a long gulp before gasping in relief.

"How did you know I take it black with two sugars?"

Allen blinked. "That's how I like it… I made it for me, but I figured you needed it more."

Lavi's grin never wavered as he took another gulp before handing the carton to Allen who rejected it with a wave of his hand.

"I can make myself another one. Keep it." Allen walked back down the corridor, his heels clicking loudly in the eerily quiet office as he made his way down to the staffroom. Allen liked the structure of the building; there were large windows open at the staircase as well as the bright white lights above. At night they would catch the glass and the rooms would be filled with a warm and comfortable glow. Allen glanced out of a window on his descending, his eyes fixing on a black car parked outside in the alleyway between Black Order Publishing and the empty building next door. There was a man leaning against the car hood, looking up through the window directly at Allen. The boy felt shivers run down his spine before shaking his head – he was probably imagining the creepy moment – and continued his small journey to the staffroom, where he made another cup of coffee, identical to the one before.

Allen returned shortly after, the black car having vanished; whilst it made Allen sigh in relief, the feeling he had before had not gone away – if anything, it had worsened. _Who was that guy outside and why was he watching me? _Allen stopped and looked back out of the window to the vacant spot. "Why was he watching this building?" He asked aloud.

"What's up?" Lavi asked, standing at the top of the staircase, looking down at Allen in bewilderment.

"There was a man…"

"A man?" Lavi queried. "What did he look like?"

"I couldn't tell, it's dark outside and there aren't any lights out there…"

Lavi ran down the stairs and grabbed Allen's arms in distress. "You should've alerted me when you saw him the first time. He was probably some underground mafia…

"Mafia?" Allen questioned, cocking his head to the side in thought. "I thought they only existed in bad gangster movies and books."

Lavi sighed and dropped his head. "No, they exist, and this company has had one too many run-ins with them. Don't worry your pretty head about it, though," he said, looking up and ruffling Allen's hair. "I'm sure it's nothing. If he comes again, Komui'll deal with it."

"Alright," Allen muttered, defeated. His pulse had been racing since the beginning, and at the touch of Lavi's gentle hands it began to slow down to a steady, natural rhythm. "Are you going home?" he asked, as he looked Lavi up and down, noticing that the redhead was wearing a long black trench coat.

"Oh, yeah. I finished the rough draft of the article. I'll finish the rest tomorrow." Lavi removed his hands from Allen's arms and tucked them into his pockets before he began his retreat down the staircase to the garage where his car was momentarily parked. He raised an arm out of his pocket long enough to wave to Allen as his figure disappeared from Allen's sight. The Brit picked himself up, shaking from his head any thoughts that were disturbing him, and made his way back to the office, grabbing his own thick winter coat and looking at the doughnut box that had been left behind. Lavi had written a small note on top. Allen picked it up and read the writing scrawled across it.

"_Good work today, sprout! Have the last of these doughnuts as a show of my gratitude._"

Allen sat down in his seat, his legs weak as he took a deep breath, fighting the lump in this throat, and swallowed any tears that were coming forth. Lavi was such a good person. Allen had never been one to deal with kindness too well; he'd grown up in a loving family – his adoptive father giving him all the attention and love in the world – but his rosy world had turned grey the moment his father had died in a car accident. He'd been sent to live with his guardian, who was negligent of his responsibilities and left Allen to his own defences.

A loud echoing of footsteps shook Allen from his reveries as he wiped the stray tears from his cheeks and looked up. Lavi stood at the doorway, panting, having run up all the stairs to get back to the office. "I just remembered; I can't leave you alone all spooked and shit, so I'm gunna take you home."

Allen stood up, pulling his coat on, and grabbing his tepid coffee and box of doughnuts, tucking the post-it note into his coat pocket discreetly.

Allen rubbed his eyes sleepily as he remembered that after taking him home, Lavi had returned with some clean clothes and announced that he'd been spending the night in order to "protect his buddy". The white-haired male was grateful to have the man by his side but as he looked at the sleeping form of Lavi, he had to wonder why he had opted to share a bed with his new friend instead of taking the sofa…

Lavi cracked his uncovered eye open and breathed out deeply. "Whoa, morning already? I could've slept all day; your bed is super comfy."

Allen gulped as he climbed out of the bed, clad in only his boxers as he opened a drawer, only to remember that his clothes were in suitcases in his living room. He opened the bedroom door and dragged his feet along the new wooden floor whilst Lavi climbed out of the bed as well, dressed in his band t-shirt, boxers, and socks. He pulled the t-shirt off and flipped through the pile of clothes sitting on Allen's desk. The Brit returned quickly, his concentration on buttoning the shirt he had on as he dragged his trousers along behind him. He looked up momentarily only to let out a yelp and jumped back.

"What?!" Lavi yelled, jumping up from his position, holding his t-shirt up in a fist – ready to fight. "Oh… what are you screaming about?"

"Y-you're naked!"

"…Yeah? What? Never seen a topless man before? Dude…"

"No-no! You just surprised me is all…" Allen whispered as he looked to the ground, avoiding any eye-contact with his friend as he slipped his grey pressed trousers on and buttoned and zipped them up. Allen looked up once more carefully and was relieved to see the redhead had now put his t-shirt on and was in the process of pulling a white shirt on over the top. The awkward silence was broken when Allen's phone blared a loud alarm tone, obviously alerting its owner that it was now time for him to wake up for work. Allen pressed several buttons, silencing the phone before looking up at Lavi. "I'm awake early…"

Lavi checked his watch cautiously and chuckled. "You get up at eight?"

"Well, yeah, the building's a ten minute walk from this street…"

"It is!?" Lavi questioned in disbelief. "That reminds me… you've only just moved in, why is all your shit here?"

"I've been in the process of moving into this apartment for months…"

"Woulda sucked if you hadn't gotten the job," Lavi mused as he opened the curtains and looked down over the street. His navy Ford was parked hazardously on the street outside.

"I got the job a while ago… Yesterday was just a formality."

"Oh… You must be really talented…"

"Didn't you see the photos I took yesterday?" Allen asked, looking the mirror and combing his stray hair down, looking at Lavi in the reflection.

"Oh, yeah. Nice work, you can see her face perfectly in the pictures despite the lighting," Lavi praised, whirling around on his heel and offering the younger male a bright smile.

Allen turned back to his colleague, returning the smile wholeheartedly. "Shall we go, then?" Allen asked as he left the bedroom, Lavi following suit.

They pulled their coats on in comfortable silence before Lavi tugged on his arm. "I'll treat ya, IHOP's on me!"

Allen let out a small cry as he was dragged out of the apartment, quickly grabbing his keys and allowing the door to slam closed behind him. He locked the door swiftly and chased Lavi down the stairs. The heavy feeling he had had last night, Allen found, had left whilst the eccentric redhead had been in his presence, and for that he was thankful.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello again!_

_Thanks to **PoisonousDemon**, **blueeyedcorpse**, and **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan.****  
**_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

The drive from Adam Clayton Boulevard to West End Avenue was a silent and dreamy one. The Ford's wheels picked up every fleck of snow from the ground, pure white turning to a foul grey. Lavi had a stern expression on his face, rather like a soldier on his way to battle. Though, Allen supposed, the way they worked was almost like a battle – a battle of wits and lawsuits if one of the team were to publish false allegations. The young man hoped that it would never come to lawsuits for him and Lavi, even though he was sure the redhead had dealt with a number of them, considering the way he worked. Lavi was the kind of person to work now and ask questions later.

The pair hadn't conversed much since they left the diner, their stomachs filled with delicious pancake heaven. Lavi had convinced Allen to try the blueberry pancakes, and the white-haired man had not regretted it; he had scoffed the flapjacks quickly before sipping his black coffee slowly and quietly, Lavi staring at Allen in awe. Then, when the Brit had complained that he was still hungry, the redhead had pushed his pancakes and bacon over to him, saying that he was no longer hungry. Allen never took into consideration that it was possible his gorge-fest could have caused the older man to lose his appetite.

Whilst deep in thought, Allen had failed to notice that the car had slowed down Lavi was now facing him with a pensive look on his face. The white-haired boy started. "You spooked me, Lavi! Don't do that to a person!" Allen scolded as he took a deep breath, willing his pulse rate to slow down.

"Sorry… I was just thinking. Don't you think it's odd?"

"What's odd?" Allen questioned, looking at Lavi's face intently. There was something about the way his features were straight and serious that gave Allen a chill down his spine; he'd seen Lavi be solemn before, but this was different.

"How Road and Tyki had never been seen out before, but they weren't exactly hiding last night… They were at a popular restaurant and they were both dressed in their trademark styles."

"Maybe they were sick of keeping it a secret?" Allen offered, shrugging his shoulders. Lavi shook his head.

"No, no, that can't be it. You aren't that good at keeping secrets, no one is. They would've been caught sooner – Road is an international star, surely she'd have a few paparazzi outside her house, watching for her next move. So, why now?"

"Well, what do you think, Lavi?"

"What do _I_ think?" Lavi questioned, the serious look on his face disappearing and changing into one of surprise. "Well, I… I think it's not what we think. Komui told me to look at this as if they were on a date, but this could be nothing more than a business deal."

"Well, okay. Say that, then…"

"But…"

"But?"

"Tyki was known to be involved in the mafia earlier in his life. They say that's how he got to the top." Lavi scratched his chin in thought as he took a deep breath and sighed loudly, almost dramatically. "I need a cigarette," he muttered, opening his coat and pulling out a box. He tipped the carton as a lone stick fell out and he put it to his lips. Allen watched as the act of lighting a cigarette became a graceful dance in Lavi's presence. He raised the lighter to his mouth and flicked once, twice, three times before the flame blazed and the cigarette glowed alight. "Let's go to the office and work our ideas out…"

"Wasn't that where we were headed anyway?" Allen asked, confused.

"Yeah, yeah. But I need to be sure that what I'm doing is right. If we mess this up, it'll be a lawsuit and Komui doesn't take too kindly to being sued due to incompetence."

Allen gulped and tugged on his, now too tight, collar, giving himself room to breathe. He'd only just gotten this job and one wrong move could send him to the streets. The journey finally began to speed up when the traffic started to disperse.

* * *

The office was heaving with employees when the two returned. The scent of coffee was thick, strong, and offensive to Allen's nose. Lavi was striding in front of Allen, taking long steps as if he were in a race with himself to get to his desk before any ideas left him. By the time Allen had arrived at the desk and dumped his camera bag underneath the table, Lavi was already sat and logged on – though still dressed in his trench coat. As Allen, too, sat down and logged himself onto his computer, a small cup to the left of his keyboard caught his sharp eye. A pink post-it note had been placed beside it and Allen reached over to rip the note from its place and read it carefully.

"_I hope your first day wasn't too rough. Here's a cup of coffee to help you._"

The note lacked a signature and Allen looked up and around the office, hoping to catch a watching eye – surely the person who'd been so kind as to offer him the coffee would watch him attentively to see how he would receive it. No one in the area was even giving the newbie a sparing glance so Allen dropped the subject and shrugged his shoulders in defeat before taking a tentative sip of the drink and placed the cup on a cheap, company-produced coaster as he typed in his password quickly and sat back, watching the black screen fade to blue as his desktop appeared. Allen closed his eyes, taking in the atmosphere of the office, revelling in the ordinary feeling of the everyday goings-on. The coffee was pungent and stuck in the air, there was an incessant clicking of keys as everyone in their cubicles typed up their reports or researched or IM'd their partner, as well as a fading hum of whispering as some pairings maintained a louder-than-silent conversation.

"Hey." Allen was awoken from his reverie by having a printed article thrust into his face. Lavi's green eye shone proudly as the white-haired boy took the document and skimmed through the small black writing, scrutinising every word that Lavi had typed. Once he'd reached the end, Allen leaned over to grab his coffee and took a long pause to sip it slowly. Lavi folded his arms impatiently. "Well?" He asked.

"It's good," Allen confirmed before handing it back to his partner, missing the elated look upon Lavi's features.

"I'll run it by Komui and then we can go to Pizza Hut and get some grub!" Lavi disappeared the moment the words left his lips as Allen rotated his seat around in haste, ready to argue that it was only ten in the morning, before he checked the large clock that Lavi had situated on his desk. It was half past one. They'd been working for four and half hours and Allen had had no idea. He sunk back into his seat and embedded his hand in his hair, smiling slightly, breathlessly – that was clearly a good sign if time was speeding by quickly. There was a saying, Allen remembered, that time flies when one is having fun. The white-haired boy mulled the thought over for a minute, trying to decipher what that meant exactly.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hello!_

_Thanks to **PoisonousDemon**, and **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan.****  
**_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

"So tell me, Allen, why did you decide to come to New York?" Lavi asked as he unfolded his napkin and tucked it on his lap, not wanting to ruin his trousers with pizza sauce.

Allen chewed on a breadstick thoughtfully, his gaze directed out of the window in a daydream, not hearing Lavi at all. The redhead sighed, exasperated, and clicked his fingers in front of Allen's slack face, hoping to catch his attention. Allen jolted suddenly, looking at the clicking fingers before him in a confused manner before catching Lavi's look. His red mouth was upturned in an amused smirk as he pulled his hand back and folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm sorry," Allen apologised, flushing red in embarrassment. "What were you saying?"

"I asked why you came to New York."

"Because I was offered a job here," Allen replied, mechanically, his tone making the answer seem as clear as day. Lavi dropped his head and groaned before lifting himself back up and giving the white-haired boy a slight smile.

"Okay, another question: why did you take it?"

"Well, why _wouldn't_ I? It was a well-paying job and it got me out of that damned house—"

"Whoa, whoa. '_Damned house'_?"

Allen pinched the bridge of his nose and berated himself internally. Of all the things to mention, why did he have to bring _that_ up? He exhaled slowly and refused to make eye contact with the handsome man sat opposite him. "It's not something I want to talk about…"

"All right," Lavi said, dropping the subject instantly – much to Allen's genuine surprise.

"What? Really?"

"You don't wanna talk about it and I'm not gunna force you to. You can tell me when you're ready." The man smiled politely and lifted up the menu, his eyes scanning over the choices offered in writing. Allen mimicked the action, feeling slightly awkward, and tried to put his attention to the pizzas and pastas listed on the document, but his gaze was always returning to Lavi's concentrating face. His green eye flashed with knowing once he'd picked his meal of the day and looked up, catching Allen's gaze. Allen instantly diverted his eyes and looked straight down at the menu, missing Lavi's smirk.

"I think I'll have a Hawaiian," Lavi announced, folding his menu shut and pushed it to the edge of the table, taking a sip of his Sprite, his eye watching Allen with interest. The boy had tied his silky white hair into a ponytail, a look that quite suited him, Lavi decided. His grey eyes shone blue in the reflected sunlight – and then something brought a strange thought to Lavi's mind. Allen always treated the scar on his face as something to be ashamed of but whenever Lavi noticed it, all he saw was Allen's large, innocent eyes and it made him sad. Allen didn't realise that his eyes were quite possibly his best feature and Lavi was strangely attracted to the captivating gaze they always held. His attitude, as expected, was as pure as snow. Allen never caught the dirty jokes Lavi and a few other employees shared as they passed the pair's conjoined desks and Lavi wasn't sure if Allen had even been intimate with someone before.

"Lavi?" Allen asked; his cheeks pink under the scrutinizing stare. Lavi shook his head and smiled gently.

"You picked?"

"I'm just going to have the carbonara," he said, also folding his menu to a close and placed it in front of him, picking up another breadstick and began to inadvertently suck on it. Lavi turned away, feeling hot and bothered –maybe the Brit wasn't as pure as he first thought.

* * *

The meal was filled with the sound of idle chatter, forks and spoons clattering against the sides of plates, the slurping of drinks, and the occasional chuckle. Once they were finished Allen and Lavi leaned against the backs of their chairs, feeling incredibly stuffed, though for Allen it was quite debatable. He'd probably pick up some doughnuts on the way back to the office and scoff the lot in the space of 15 minutes. The waitress, a tall, buxom lady with blonde hair, came to the table to collect the dishes and asked the gentlemen if they wished for anything else. Lavi responded curtly with, "The bill, please." The waitress nodded and swiftly left the table and returned with a little black book. The bill was placed neatly inside and Lavi gave Allen a wink and left the table to pay by card. Allen grabbed the bill, checking the price and gasped. There was no way he was letting Lavi pay for his meal – he would return the favour when he received his first pay check from Komui later in the week.

A few moments later, Lavi returned, his eyes locked onto the receipt he'd been given by the waitress.

"What is it?" Allen asked, reaching forward to receive the receipt but Lavi tugged it out of his range, holding it over his head with an obnoxious smirk.

"Why do you care so much?"

"… It's just a damn receipt, Lavi, let me see."

Lavi sighed deeply and handed the thin paper to Allen who let out a loud laugh at the scrawl at the bottom. The waitress had jotted her number down at the end with a small "_call me_" written underneath. "Can I have it back now?" Lavi asked, holding his palm out but Allen turned away from Lavi and grabbed his coat and pulled it on, his attention still on the receipt.

"She gave you her number!" Allen whispered, mesmerised. "I didn't think people actually did that."

Lavi grumbled on his breath and snatched the receipt from Allen and tucked it into his blazer pocket. "I told you it didn't matter," he murmured, scowling.

"You never said that," Allen teased as he zipped the coat up. "You said, 'why do you care so much?'. Nothing about it being of importance."

Lavi tugged on his trench coat and blinked at Allen. "You talk funny."

It was Allen's turn to scowl. "I apologise that I don't talk like a New Yorker."

Lavi looked up, seeing the offence written on Allen's features and instantly felt guilty. "That's not what I meant – it's refreshing. I'm so used to hearing those kinds of accents that yours is just… It's refreshing…"

Allen blushed as he tucked his hands into his coat pockets and fumbled about with the spare change he had hidden inside. "…It's fine…"

Lavi let out an exhale of relief as he patted the Brit's shoulder reassuringly. "C'mon, I want to take you somewhere."

Allen's eyes flickered with curiosity. "But, don't we have to go back?"

"No, Komui gave us the rest of the day off – he told me to show you around and there's a certain lady I want you to meet," Lavi replied, winking at the confused white-haired boy. The redhead stepped out onto the road and waved for a taxi and pushed Allen inside before slipping into the taxi himself and whispering the destination to the taxi driver. Allen frowned, he didn't like secrets, nor did he like surprises. He let out a sigh of frustration and kicked his leg over the other one and folded his arms in distrust.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hello again!_

_Thanks to **PoisonousDemon**, **blueeyedcorpse**, and **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan.****  
**_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Allen stood and looked in awe at the tall, beautiful statue before him. When Lavi had said he was going to meet a certain lady, he never would've imagined that he'd end up on Liberty Island, stood before the Statue of Liberty herself. She stood proud upon her monument, and Allen wished he had his camera with him.

"Here," Lavi surprised the white-haired boy by pulling out Allen's camera, sans his protective bag or equipment. Allen was close to chastising the redhead about being improper with his possessions but as he grabbed the camera and took picture after picture of the statue in front of him, the anger melted away. "Let's go inside," he suggested, grabbing the Brit's hand carelessly and pulling him inside the monument where they showed the two reserved tickets for the Crown and Monument and went through several security checks before they were allowed to ride up in the elevator to the crown.

Allen looked out through the glass; he could see for miles, tall buildings fading grey in the background as he grinned widely, like a child in a sweet shop. Lavi leaned against the wall, watched Allen's glowing face, and smiled gently. It was that look he had wanted to see when he'd brought him to the coppered lady. Allen whirled round and faced Lavi, his grey eyes bright and sparkling. "Lavi, look!"

He grinned and ruffled the soft white hair of the boy. "Nah, I'm good."

The boy flushed with confusion and turned away and back to the window where his eyes widened with wonder once more. He brought his camera up and began to snap photos, the clicking sound echoing around the almost vacant room. Lavi couldn't turn his gaze away from the exuberant antics of the young man, his hand rising without conscious thought as his fingers embedded themselves in the white locks and Allen turned to look at him, a wary look flashing in his beautiful eyes. Lavi leaned forward, his eyelid closing as he moved into Allen's territory and pressed his lips gently against Allen's soft pink ones.

Time slowed down as Allen's eyes widened in shock upon realised what was happening. Lavi was kissing him. _Lavi_ was _kissing_ him! All thoughts had appeared to catch up with the redhead as Lavi pulled back quickly, a shamed blush dusting his cheeks as he mumbled something like an apology and moved away from Allen, who was stood still and trying to comprehend what had just unfolded. The sun had begun to set on New York City as Allen took one last photograph of the pink and orange sky over the city skyline and left with Lavi, neither of them saying a word to each other in fear of making things even more awkward. Allen turned his head from Lavi's view and pressed his fingertips gingerly against his lips and shivered. It was perplexing to Allen; Lavi had kissed him, but he didn't… hate it. He didn't hate it at all.

"Listen," Lavi began, turning to Allen as they boarded the boat in uncomfortable silence. "Listen, I'm really sorry about earlier, I just got caught in the moment."

"Moment?" Allen questioned, rubbing the back of his head gawkily.

"Yeah, it's just… You looked so… peaceful looking out the windows. I dunno, something came over me. Maybe I need to get laid…" Lavi muttered as he patted his trench coat pockets for a cigarette, pleading the fact that he really, _really_ needed one right now. "You didn't happen to see where I put my cigarettes?"

"No," Allen answered shortly, folding his arms over his chest and glaring at the redhead. "I didn't."

"Oh," Lavi mumbled, as he gave up and dropped his arms to his sides and leaned against the wall of the boat. The rocking back and forth upon the open water made his head spin and with everything that was going on, he really needed air, sturdy ground, and a goddamn cigarette.

* * *

Tensions were a little less strung when the two left the boat. Lavi suggested they go get some sushi at a restaurant near to Allen's apartment, Planet Sushi. The Brit declined the request, complaining of fatigue and overexertion, and grabbed a taxi back to his apartment. Alone and rejected, Lavi stuffed his hands into his trench coat pockets and shuffled along the street before eying a bar in front of him. It was five in the evening and it was open. The redhead shrugged and with a tired "_When in Rome_", he ducked into the bar until the clock turned twelve and he left with a beautiful woman on his arm, her tongue in his ear as he drunkenly tried to grab a taxi to get them to his apartment.

She had left, however, when Lavi woke up the next morning. She had left with his money and his grandfather's watch. When he rolled over at dawn to check the time he found no device upon the wooden surface. He sat up, wondering if he'd knocked it off during the night, but it was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't until he found that his wallet was empty – with the exception of a few credit cards – that he comprehended what had happened.

He kicked the wall in frustration and got dressed for work, the heavy feeling of dread weighing on his heart when he realised that Allen would be there. Allen, with his innocent and brightening smile and his good nature and his fucking cups of coffee and _damn it_! Lavi rubbed his face; what was wrong with him? He'd never felt this… _feeling_… over another man before; in fact, before Allen had come along Lavi would have never looked at another man the way he did at the young Brit. But then, Lavi never had the chance to feel anything for another man. A lot of the men at work resented Lavi for his intelligence, wit, and hard-working nature, as well as his luck with the ladies. Allen was the first person to actually take the time to get to know Lavi and treat him as a friend, and Lavi began to curse himself for ruining the friendship they'd established within two days by being a fucking idiot.

* * *

Lavi was one of the first few to get into the office; the only other people present were Rikei and his partner, Lou Fa. The man was dressed in a dark purple shirt and black slacks, and nodded at Lavi as he passed him to get to the photocopier. Lavi was unsure of their job in the office. Sometimes they left to get stories, but sometimes they did manual office labour like photocopying documents, ordering stationary, and other boring jobs that made Lavi tired from just thinking about them. As he walked to his desk, Lavi noticed that Lou Fa was stood in front of Allen's with a timid grace. She turned around instantly, her eyes widening behind her large glasses as she squeaked in surprise and ran away, leaving behind a pink frosted cupcake and a blue post-it note.

_Well, that solved __that mystery_, Lavi thought as he picked up the post-it note, hearing the indignant squeal of Lou Fa in the distance. He turned back to look at her but she ducked behind her computer screen, refusing to be seen. There was a ding of the elevator announcing Allen's early arrival. The Brit greeted Rikei and Lou Fa politely as he exited, the latter of the two giving the young man a stammered response, and Lavi placed the note back on the table, hoping Allen wouldn't notice. But he had.

"L-Lavi?" Allen queried, looking at the sickeningly pink cupcake and then to the redhead who was trying his damned hardest to look nonchalant. The action repeated itself at least twice before Lavi excused himself to the bathroom and left the boy looking dazed and befuddled.

Inside the restroom, he splashed his face with water and did several deep breathing methods to keep his cool. His mind was in several places at once and it wasn't doing him any good. He took a good look at himself in the mirror, knowing that he looked like shit. His green eye was bloodshot and framed with a dark circle from sleep deprivation, and he was unusually pale. He slumped against the sink and prayed for the whole misunderstanding to be over and done with.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello once again!_

_Thanks to **PoisonousDemon**, and **azumesta** for your reviews!**  
**_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Allen sat at his desk, staring at the cupcake and the post-it before reflecting on the previous day and the kiss that he and Lavi had shared inside the Statue of Liberty. It didn't make sense; Lavi gave off the air of being a ladies' man, so why was he wasting his time 'wooing' him? The redhead returned from the bathroom moments after entering and gave the white-haired young man a polite and hesitant greeting, which he pointedly returned with confidence.

"Listen, Allen, we really need to talk about yesterday," Lavi suggested, leaning on the back of his chair.

"Do we?" Allen asked, not looking up from his computer. He ran his finger along the pink icing of the cupcake and popped it into his mouth, pulling it out slowly and allowing his pink tongue to poke out. Lavi ignored what Allen was trying to pull and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, we do. You have things all wrong. That cupcake's not from me, it's from—" His sentence was ended abruptly with the sound of a mound of papers being slammed on his desk. The redhead turned around cautiously and grinned. Fou stood over Lavi's desk with a sinister smile on her pretty face. "Mornin', Fou!" Lavi greeted.

"Morning, Lavi," she returned and handed to him one of the papers on the pile before grabbing his collar and pulling him forward and closer to her, their noses almost touching. Lavi heard Allen click his tongue and the squeak of him getting up from his chair as he walked around the desk to talk to Rikei, Lou Fa, Shifu – who was Fou's partner – and Bak Chan, a young man who had a more-than-obvious crush on Lenalee. "Listen," Fou began, "I know you were about to let Lou Fa's secret go there, but be warned. If I hear you say anything like that again, I won't hesitate to hurt you. She's moving at her own pace, and yeah, she needs to sort of step up her game, but goddamn you if you spoil it for her!" Lavi said nothing but nodded, understandingly perfectly, and gulped loudly. Fou released her grip on his collar and smiled sweetly. "Great." She snatched the paper from Lavi's puzzled grip, picked the pile up, and left the area.

The familiar ding sung sweetly through the sound of dimming conversation as Lenalee Lee, Komui's younger sister and receptionist, came through the office, waving and smiling at employees as she walked past. Lavi grinned; finally, something that could brighten his day.

"Lenalee!" He shouted, waving at her. She returned the gesture wholeheartedly and walked a little faster towards her friend.

"Hey, Lavi! Just the person I was looking for," she said as she pulled her hair from the pony tail she had it up in before retying it with deft fingers.

"Oh?" Lavi raised an eyebrow suggestively and moved a little closer. "Finally succumbed to my whims, eh?"

"No," she said deliberately, giggling as he dropped his head in anguish. "There's someone downstairs to see you. They say it's urgent."

"Oh?" Lavi repeated, standing up quickly. "Did they give their name?"

"No, just to get Lavi Bookman and bring him down ASAP." Lenalee led the way for Lavi as the two conversed down the stairs towards reception, Lenalee didn't like taking the elevator too often and she always proclaimed to enjoy the view from the staircase anyway. Lavi wasn't quite aware of the look of worry Allen gave him as he walked past.

In the reception, a tall, beautiful, blonde woman stood in an elegant pose. She had sunglasses covering her eyes; on her supple lips was red lipstick, and her skin was flawlessly pale and free of blemishes. She was dressed in a tight-fitting suit, revealing all the right curves, and Lavi stopped short when he saw her. She was Lulu Bell, famous model and one of the sexiest women in New York. She turned around with grace, almost as if she were on the catwalk, and walked forward, one high-heeled foot in front of the other, her hips swaying.

"You are Lavi Bookman, yes?" She asked. Her voice was feminine but deep and rich and melted like butter, and Lavi found himself in the bar from the previous night, flirting with the beautiful woman in front of him. She held out her hand and he broke from his trance. "This is yours, I apologise for taking it by mistake."

He held out a tentative hand and she dropped a golden time device into his palm. His grandfather's watch. "Thank you," he whispered and strapped it to his wrist.

"It was my fault, again, I apologise. If you'd allow me to make up to you—"

"No, no, that's not necessary." Lavi waved it off, feeling the judgmental looks he was receiving from both Lenalee and Miranda, at the front desk, on his back. "Just having it returned is good enough, thank you again."

"Then I'll take my leave," Lulu Bell announced, turning around on her heel and starting to head towards the main entrance. Looking at his watch, Lavi was brought back to the memory of the morning and remembered the fact that his money had also vanished.

"Ah, wait!"

Lulu Bell looked back over her shoulder, an impatient glint in her beautiful golden eyes. "Yes?"

"M-my money," Lavi stammered, running the tip of his index finger over the glass face of his watch in anxiety.

"Money?"

"You took some money from me... I'm confused. If you have enough money to afford a limo, why did you steal mine?"

Lulu Bell didn't answer straight away; instead, she turned her body fully towards Lavi, her hands clasped and cupped together delicately in front of her person. "I didn't have my phone on me and I was short of cash. I needed a taxi fare. I will pay you back, if you'd like?"

With a hand to his forehead, Lavi waved the offer away. "No, no… I should've realised, I'm sorry…"

With a minuscule smile, Lulu Bell turned back to the door. "Well, if you'll excuse me," she said before leaving in the same elegant poise she had when she had walked in, leaving several people in reception staring at her in awe.

"Spill it." Lenalee pounced once the supermodel had left.

"There's nothing to spill."

"Then how did she get hold of your watch?" Lenalee asked, pointing at the gold timepiece on his wrist. "Oh," she murmured, getting the idea. "You slept with her."

"Wha—!" Lavi looked at her in defiance. "You can't prove it."

"You take your watch off to do two things: shower and sleep. Clearly she must've been in your bed or in your bathroom to take it from you. Ergo, you slept with her."

"Lenalee, you are so wrong," Lavi lied, hiding his embarrassment with ease. He couldn't show his humiliation in front of the girl, knowing fully well she would hold it against him at any possible moment.

"Hmm, fine." She dropped the subject quicker than a too-hot cup of coffee, sat down, and turned her attention to Miranda. "You can go back to work now – ah, before you leave!" Lavi turned around as he began to walk back to the stairway. "Nice work on your new article. Those pictures are so clear and crisp."

Lavi grinned in pride. "That was Allen. Isn't he amazing." It was more of a statement than a question, and Lavi left the reception again, admiring his watch and thinking about how it had been in the grip of Lulu Bell's soft hands. Lavi shivered as he remembered just how skilled and soft those hands were, that was definitely a story to brag about with the men in the office. Lavi stopped. _T__hough probably not with Allen around. I don't want him to think… things_. The redhead passed the staff room on his way up just as Allen was exiting the room holding two cups of coffee skilfully. He let out a little gasp when he saw Lavi and offered him one of the cups.

"Let's talk," Allen said. "I have something to tell you."

Lavi felt his stomach twist uncomfortably and his face grew hot, rivalling the temperature of the drink in his hand. "O-oh?" He replied, awkwardly as Allen walked past him, a concerned expression on his features.

"I think," Allen began, turning around quickly and almost knocking the cup out of Lavi's hand. "I think I'm being stalked."


	9. Chapter 9

_Edit: I have added a conversation into chapter 8. Thank you to **azmuesta** for pointing it out!_

_Hello once again!_

_Thanks to **PoisonousDemon**, **CsillaDream**, and **azumesta** for your reviews!**  
**_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

"Stalked?" Lavi echoed, unsure if he'd heard correctly.

"Yes. Do you remember that night we were in the office and there was a guy outside looking in?"

"… No?"

"I've seen him outside my apartment, looking up directly at my window," Allen continued, turning pale as he recounted the facts. Lavi gulped as he gingerly placed a hand on Allen's upper arm as a sign of comfort and Allen moved into the touch.

"Oh man, have you told the cops?"

"…No," Allen replied, looking down in shame. "Should I?"

"Hell yeah! If this weirdo's stalking you, you gotta tell someone! Shit, that's it; you're not going home alone anymore. You're staying at my apartment for the time being."

"You don't have to do that, Lavi," Allen said, shaking his head quickly. Lavi hadn't missed the hidden look of elation on his face.

"No, I'm not giving you a choice. You're the best photographer I've ever had and I'm not letting some weirdo kill you or do weird shit to you!"

Allen's joy disappeared incredibly quickly. "The best photographer," he echoed hollowly.

"You go back to yours tonight and pick up clothes and stuff, whatever you need, and I'll pick you up at eight."

Allen sighed. Lavi really wasn't giving him much of a choice, but he didn't really want to be in close proximity with the redhead, not when his heart and head were playing games with him and even just being near Lavi gave him butterflies. "Okay," he said finally, submitting to Lavi's whims. The pair hadn't noticed that Lavi's hand lingered on Allen's arm until the air became edgy and the looks became tense. Lavi removed his hand and coughed into it. Allen gave him a small smile, spun on his heel, and began his ascent up the stairs.

* * *

The week went fluidly for the pair now they lived together in Lavi's apartment. The two were conscious of the each other's feelings; Lavi kept in mind to limit his physical contact with Allen, who in turn remembered to not take every little thing that the redhead did to heart. That didn't stop his developing crush on the American, though. Throughout the week, the pair spent a lot of time with each other, playing video games and seeing the sights that New York had to offer. They even managed to buy the white-haired boy a new chair for the office. The stress Allen had felt earlier melted away the moment Lavi was around, and he felt a lot more secure to be in the redhead's apartment than his own, but part of him was annoyed. He was 22, he shouldn't be looking for support from someone else – he had a job, he should be able to care for himself.

But then Allen remembered the nightmares and the man outside his apartment and he felt sick. During the day, he was calm and relaxed, but during the night – as he lay on Lavi's comfortable sofa and the redhead snored away in his bedroom – the memories plagued him. He remembered the robotic look on the man's face, and the sunglasses, and the fact he was in pure black, like a shadow – watching, waiting. Of course, Allen hadn't shared these worries with Lavi, already feeling like he was putting enough pressure on him as the circumstances were.

At work, things went smoothly; he still received gifts from a secret admirer – he'd worked out through elimination that it wasn't Lavi, considering the two were always around each other. Lavi knew who it was, but whenever Allen questioned him about it he went pale, looked away, declared that he had no idea, and hurriedly changed the subject.

Allen had been at Ciancia Magazine for a week now. Their article was published in the weekly magazine, and his colleagues congratulated both him and Lavi on their work. The white-haired boy had received flowers on that day with a "_well done_" note, and Lavi had taken him out to eat sushi as a surprise.

The dream-like nature that his life had taken on disappeared quickly when he told Lavi that he needed to pop into his apartment to grab more clothes. The redhead sat outside in his car, the engine still running, waiting for him to finish his task. Allen opened his door carefully and looked around the darkened flat before turning the lights off and sighing in relief. Nothing.

His answering machine flashed red in impatience, signifying that he had several missed calls. _Probably all from master_, Allen thought as he pressed play and moved into his bedroom, leaving the door open so he could hear the messages. He placed t-shirts, underwear, jeans, shirts, and trousers into the bag as the beep sounded and the first message began.

"Allen Walker, your days are numbered."

His blood froze. That wasn't Cross Marian.

Another beep.

"I know where you live, Allen Walker. You'll pay for what you did."

Another beep.

"Why are you no longer home? Scared?"

Last beep.

"When I find you, and I will, you will regret it."

Allen felt his knees collapse from under him as he shakily grabbed his mobile from his pocket and dialled Lavi's number.

"Yeah?"

"I… I…"

"Allen, are you okay?!" Lavi asked, panicked and concerned. Allen began to cry.

"No." His voice strained as tears rolled down his cheeks and he huddled himself up for comfort. Lavi ran straight up to the Brit's home, after switching his engine off and locking the car, and banged on the door before bursting in and heading straight to the bedroom.

"Allen," he whispered as he dropped to his knees and pulled the younger man into a tight hug. "What happened?"

"Th-the phone," he breathed, pointing at the machine outside the bedroom. Lavi stood up and pressed play – Allen ducked into the bathroom, refusing to hear the messages again. After the final message, Lavi whistled.

"Sick fucks," he cursed, storming back into the bedroom, grabbing Allen's rucksack and knocking on the door gently. "I'm still here. Let's go back, come on."

"O-okay," Allen answered quietly, opening the door. His grey eyes were red and swollen and his lip was bleeding from chewing on it hesitantly. Lavi wanted to comfort him as best as he could and pressed a soft kiss against his forehead, leaving the boy bewildered. The redhead grabbed Allen's hand, squeezing it lightly, and pulled him out of his hellish apartment, closing the door with a loud click. Lavi had to let Allen go as he got into the driver's seat. He pulled his trench coat off and draped it over Allen's shaking form; the Brit's gripped the top of the coat with his thin fingers and held it like a blanket, consoled by the scent.

Lavi parked the car when they arrived at his apartment and took the coat from Allen. He placed an arm around his shoulders again, holding him close on the way up to his flat, his grip light in fear of breaking the fragile Brit. They walked into the apartment and Allen sat on the sofa, shivering in shock and fear as Lavi threw the bag into the bedroom before moving over to sit beside him, and rubbed his shoulders.

"Lavi, be honest with me," he whispered so quietly that Lavi had to ask him to repeat.

"O-okay?" He replied with a furious blush upon his face.

"Do you treat me this way because you feel sorry for me, or because you like me?"

Lavi gulped. "It's… It's difficult to explain."

Allen didn't say anything, and Lavi removed his contact from the boy and put his hands on his lap, looking down at his knees.

"Did you sleep with that woman in reception?" Allen finally asked after a few minutes.

Lavi almost fell off the sofa as he looked at Allen with a confused appearance. "How did you know about her?"

"I followed you down and saw her give your watch back to you… I hid in the staffroom so you wouldn't see me."

Lavi exhaled deeply. "Yeah, I slept with her."

Allen went pink and looked in the opposite direction, towards the window, and admired the black outline of blocks of towers against the violet and diamond sky. "Lavi," he began again, catching the redhead's attention.

"Yeah?"

"I think I like you."


	10. Chapter 10

_Hello once again!_

_Thanks to **PoisonousDemon**, **CsillaDream**, and **blueeyedcorpse** for your reviews!**  
**_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Lavi lay in bed, guilt-ridden and sleep-deprived. The man who had confessed to him was a few metres away on his sofa, snoring softly. It was 3 o'clock in the morning, Lavi saw as he rolled over to look at his illuminated clock. He sighed and climbed out of bed, but the moment his feet touched the carpeted floor of his bedroom, the conversation from earlier plagued his mind.

"I think I like you."

Lavi tugged at his collar and gulped loudly. "Th-that's…"

"I knew you would react this way."

Lavi looked at Allen incredulously, his mouth open and ready to argue back. "What do you mean by that?" He asked instead.

"I've made you uncomfortable."

"Yeah!" Lavi snorted. "You just blurted that out without really thinking. Now, here's my question. Do you like me because I'm me, or because I've helped you?"

"Both."

Lavi rubbed his face and exhaled slowly. "I need to go to bed," he mumbled.

"All right," Allen said, standing up and going to the adjoining kitchen. Lavi watched after him, wondering, but all worries were put at ease when Allen returned with a glass of water and a bright smile. "I'm sorry."

Lavi stood up and looked at him before shaking his head. "Don't be. We'll talk in the morning, okay?"

"All right," Allen repeated and moved forward, his body close to Lavi's, his lips brushing against the redhead's cheek before he retired into the bathroom to get changed and ready for bed. Lavi slapped a hand over his cheek, the heat of the contact lingering under his touch. _No!_ He willed himself. _I'm only reacting this way because of that damned confession, stop it!_

Lavi walked out quietly into the living room and checked Allen's sleeping form. His silver eyebrows were furrowed into a frown and he was fidgeting. His mouth hung open as he snored and then began to mumble something in his sleep. He flung his arms about before crying out and waking up. He shrieked when he saw a dark form hanging over his body and Lavi hushed him down, hoping he didn't wake the neighbours.

"It's me!"

"Lavi?!" Allen whispered loudly, lifting an arm to hit the older man's shoulder.

"Ow! Hey, sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out; I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine," he mumbled and laid back down on the sofa, closing his eyes. Lavi groaned quietly and walked away. _Fine__,__ huh? I've never seen a 'fine' person cry out like that in__ their sleep. You don't think I ha__ve__n't__ noticed that you haven't been sleeping well?_

Lavi opened his cupboard, grabbed the closest glass tumbler, and filled it with water. A small red flash caught the corner of his eye as he looked over to his Blackberry, lying forgotten on the counter top. Lavi pressed a key; the screen illuminated and alerted him to new text messages. He unlocked his phone and took a drink from his glass as he read over the texts. They were from an unknown number. Lavi frowned and read through them, his pulse accelerating.

"I saw the article, Lavi Bookman. You'll regret that."

Another one. Lavi raised an eyebrow, this person was relentless.

"65 Madison Avenue. Watch yourself."

Lavi almost dropped his phone as he let out a yelp in fright. The sender had his address. This wasn't just about Allen any more; this person wanted revenge and, Lavi realised as he reread the first one, it was about the article he and Allen had written recently – the article about Road and her secret rendezvous with Tyki Mikk. But surely that alone wasn't enough to make the sender angry, was it?

Lavi slumped down when he recalled that he'd alluded to Tyki's past dealings with the mafia before he became an actor. That was probably it. Tyki had read the article and was outraged that his acts in the past were being brought up again – but there was no need for death threats. If he was offended he could've just sued the company. But then, Allen and Lavi would end up on the streets if that happened. The threats were definitely empty at best, and Lavi locked his phone, ignoring their presence. The one thing that plagued his mind, though, was that the man stalking Allen and the death threats may be connected.

Lavi returned to bed with his glass of water half empty and his bones shaking in shock. He laid down and rested his head against the pillow, willing for sleep to come and take away the stress.

* * *

Komui had called Allen and Lavi to his office the following morning; he made no comment on the pale and dark-eyed faces of the pair and said in a slow, calm voice: "Your new assignment. We've been tipped off that Road and Tyki have been spotted at another restaurant, alone." Lavi took the assignment handed to him on paper and winked.

"We won't let you down, chief!" he said, grinning widely and placing a hand on Allen's shoulder. The white-haired boy jumped noticeably as his grey eyes widened and scanned the area in panic. After a few seconds he calmed down and sighed in relief, unaware that Komui and Lavi were watching him with concerned expressions before sharing a look. After a long moment in silence, Komui dismissed the journalist and photographer from his office with a shaky smile.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lavi asked Allen once they'd left and the door clicked closed behind them.

"Y-yeah, of course."

"Listen, Allen…"

"I need a drink," Allen murmured before walking off to the staff room to grab a coffee to go. Lavi walked down to the parking lot and sat inside his car, waiting for the white-haired boy to make his way down with his coffee.

He returned moments later with a coffee in each hand, and handed one to Lavi as he strapped himself into his seat. "I got another cupcake today," Allen muttered.

"Oh?" Lavi asked, sipping his coffee.

"I think it might be Lou Fa who's doing it."

Lavi swallowed his coffee thickly and looked at Allen in surprise. "You worked it out, huh?"

"It wasn't that hard."

"You caught her in the act, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

The two sat in comfortable silence and Lavi took the time to gaze at Allen's profile. The boy was drinking his coffee slowly, raising his wrist skilfully and closing his eyes as he felt the hot liquid run down his throat, refreshing his mind and calming his nerves. Lavi moved in closer, captivated by the little things this man did as Allen turned to look at him, a question on his lips before they were pressed against Lavi's own in a deep, passionate kiss.

Lavi's head tilted slightly to the left as he ran a tongue along Allen's closed lips and tasted the coffee that lingered. Allen opened his lips obediently, his own tongue coming out to meet Lavi's as they embraced each other's coffee-infused essence. Lavi pressed his body against Allen's, who had to bring one arm up and around Lavi's neck to keep his balance. As soon as it had begun, it ended and Lavi pulled away again, running a finger on his bottom lip, his cheeks flushed pink and his breath coming out in short, sharp pants. Allen was beetroot red as his eyelids fluttered open, not realising he'd closed his eyes in passing.

"God damn it, what have you done to me?" Lavi asked, breathless. He turned around, strapped his seatbelt in, and turned the ignition on. The engine roared to life as he drove out of the parking lot and began to drive to his destination, a smirk on his red lips as he looked at Allen beside him. The white-haired boy was befuddled but delighted; he couldn't quite keep the smile from forming on his pink lips. He gave Lavi a sideways glance, surprised and joyous to find that he, too, was beaming.

That, surely, had to be a good sign.


	11. Chapter 11

_Hey there! I apologise for this is an extremely short chapter but I hope you enjoy it!_

_Thanks to **blueeyedcorpse**, **CsillaDream**, **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**, and **PoisonousDemon** for your reviews!**  
**_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Malcolm C. Lvellie expected nothing more than hard work from his employees. Good stories were a bonus in his eyes, but the hard work was what made him sign his name on his pay checks. Lvellie had owned Black Order Publishing for an extreme length of time; he'd inherited it from his father, and since he didn't have any kids of his own, he would be handing it down to his young assistant, Howard Link. Young Link joined his side when the runt was only 18 years old; he'd been there for 5 years and was delighted when he overheard the conversation the CEO had with his other employees about the inheritance of the company. No one could disagree with what the boss said for fear of losing their jobs, although some deemed it unfair when they that they'd been working there longer and a lot harder than Link.

Lvellie had a dislike for young employees, and when he'd heard that Komui Lee from Ciancia Magazine had hired a new recruit who was just twenty-two years old without any reputable work experience, the man was livid. He called the Asian up to his office the day after and demanded to know what he was playing at.

Komui played it coolly, something that Lvellie also disliked, but as the younger man placed the newcomer's portfolio on the table and suggested that the CEO take a look, Lvellie sat in his seat with a defeated disposition. The boy was good. Extremely good. The best he'd ever seen, a natural prodigy, and Lvellie instantly apologised to Komui for his unnecessary berating. The man shrugged it off and left soon after, taking Allen's portfolio with him. Despite this, Lvellie was wary of the young genius and kept a close eye on everything he and his partner – that damned Lavi Bookman – did.

Today, though, Lvellie sat at his desk with a cup of camomile tea and a copy of the latest Ciancia magazine. He was skimming through the glossed pages with bored eyes and let out an indignant sigh at the less-than-stellar work that some of his employees produced, until one photo caught his eye. He'd seen work similar to that in Allen Walker's portfolio and suddenly the irritation he felt melted into elation as he read through the article. The elation quickly morphed into a feeling of anger and annoyance.

Lavi Bookman.

That name haunted him like a bad deed, he hated that name, but he couldn't fire the blasted twerp because he was _too damn good_. Though now the son-of-a-bitch had brought Tyki Mikk into his ring of fire! The name belonged to a very powerful figure in the media today, and not only had he brought Tyki into it, he'd slandered his name as a criminal. Lvellie could feel an ulcer coming on, along with a lawsuit that he dreaded would be in his pigeonhole the next morning. The kid was getting involved in things that didn't concern him, and he needed to be taught a lesson.

There was gossip circulating around the same time of Allen and Lavi's relationship; people were saying that they had become close friends in the span of a week, and some were saying that they'd become a little _too_ close. Lvellie was not one to take heed of mindless rumours and he wasn't about to start now. What his employees got up to in their own time was their business; he didn't care what they did as long as it didn't waste valuable working time.

Once he was through reading the magazine he tossed it to the side, not really caring what happened to the paper now. His phone rang. Lvellie stepped outside to make sure that Link was not present – he wasn't, the boy must have been in the staff room getting a drink. He closed the door quickly and answered the phone in a hushed voice.

"Malcolm C. Lvellie speaking."

"Lvellie, we have a tip-off for you," a distorted voice replied. "Tyki Mikk and Road Kamelot have been seen inside Veniero's on East 11th Street." And with that short sentence, the call was cut off. Lvellie put his phone down and rubbed his hands in joy as he scribbled it down on a notepad and gave it to Link with the note to hand it to Komui for his star reporting pair: Allen and Lavi.

* * *

"Mmn, Lavi, I'm bored," Allen muttered as he put his camera down for the 15th time. Lavi clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and sighed.

"You're awfully whiney today," he retorted.

Allen pouted slightly and picked his camera up again, sure that he'd seen some movement inside the windows of the Italian restaurant. "I'm confused; surely, after being spotted before, they'd be a little more cautious of going out together in public."

Lavi said nothing, mulling the thought over. Allen was right, it did seem a bit weird, but they were here now and he was sure that the tip-off was genuine.

Though when a black van pulled up in front of the car, Lavi's positive thoughts turned negative, poisoning the high he was on from the kiss he'd shared with Allen earlier. Two men dressed as police officers climbed out of the car and walked over to where Allen and Lavi were situated. Before they knew what was happening, the doors were yanked open and they were both pulled out with brutal force. Lavi had his arms pulled behind his back and handcuffed.

"You're under arrest," a Portuguese accent purred in the redhead's ear.

Allen, on the other hand, was given harsher treatment; his camera fell from his grip and smashed on the tarmac beneath him. "My camera," he wailed silently as his arms were also wrenched behind his back and handcuffed.

The two policemen threw the young men into the back of the black truck, the door slamming shut behind them and leaving them blinking in the darkness. Allen inched closer to Lavi, sensing his heat from a distance, and whimpered slightly.

"I'm scared too, Allen," Lavi whispered in his ear and kissed his cheek softly.

"Oi, shut up back there!" A voice spat as their heads were connected and their worlds went black.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hey there! _

_Thanks to **CsillaDream**, **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**, and **PoisonousDemon** for your reviews!**  
**_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

"—vi!"

Lavi's green eye fluttered open as his dark world gained dimmed light. He was wary of his surroundings as he sensed the dust in the air around him. His head hurt, it pounded; he was slightly dizzy and nauseous as he tried to keep conscious.

"Lavi!" Allen was calling from beside him. Lavi blinked and turned to his left. Allen was tied to a chair, his arms and legs strapped and unusable, his silver hair matted against his white face, and dark streaks of dried blood flaked from his pale skin. His grey eyes were filled with worry and fear and Lavi wanted nothing more than to kiss away the tears that formed in the corners. "Lavi," Allen croaked. "Are you awake?"

"I think so," Lavi murmured as he tried to pull his arms out to reach over to Allen but found that he too was strapped to a chair. He cursed under his breath.

"Are these the ones?"

An ominous voice appeared from the ghostly silence of the dark warehouse and Lavi whipped his head left and right, trying to find the source. He made himself lightheaded, letting out a defeated groan and dropping his head. "Lavi!" Allen squeaked breathlessly.

"They are," another voice confirmed.

"Excellent." The first voice was followed by a series of clicking footsteps until a tall, round man stood over Allen and Lavi with a large, sinister grin twisting his terrifying features. He sported a ridiculously tall top hat and over his eyes were small round glasses. "You are Allen Walker and Lavi Bookman from Black Order Publishing, yes?"

"How did you find us?" Lavi asked, deliberately avoiding the question and narrowing his eye to the shadow.

"Did you think you had been unseen?" the voice taunted. "That no one had noticed you? An _associate_ of mine followed you back. Now answer me. Are you Allen Walker and Lavi Bookman of Black Order Publishing?"

"Yes," Lavi muttered whilst Allen refused to answer, keeping his dignity intact – or so he'd like to believe. The other voice came forward and revealed himself to be Tyki Mikk, the cause of all Lavi and Allen's problems. The Portuguese man raised his hand and slapped Allen across the face, the sound resonating within the corroding metal walls. Allen let out a gasp of pain as he was struck.

"You do realise the danger you're in, don't you, boy?" Tyki asked, gripping Allen's chin with force and lifting his head up, their eyes meeting. "I apologise for hitting you so hard, I had no idea how adorable you were."

"Let him go," Lavi ordered, raising his head as best he could with his world spinning around him. "Please."

Tyki turned his gaze onto the redhead and smirked. "_Please_? That's kind of futile, don't you think?"

"Let him go."

Tyki squeezed Allen's chin and Allen began to gasp and pant in agony until Tyki decided enough was enough and released his grasp on the white-haired boy's jaw and stepped back. Red finger marks were imprinted on Allen's pale skin and Lavi turned angry, forgetting his dizziness and nausea. "Don't look like that, Lavi. Allen will never want you with that ugly expression."

Allen turned pink and looked away, trying to find solace in the cracks in of the paved floor as a mouse scurried in the striped sunlight. He finally spoke to his captors.

"What do you want?" His voice was shaky but his demeanour was tough.

"We require you to write an article for us."

"And if we don't?" Lavi asked with a snort.

"We'll kill your partner," the other gentleman said, his grin never wavering. Any colour in Allen's cheeks disappeared, turning a sickly white. "I'm sure you'd live with that on your conscience, won't you, Bookman?"

Lavi couldn't answer; the words he wanted to say were caught in a web of shock in his throat. They were threatening death on Allen when it was he who wrote the article. "Why hurt him?"

"Because it would be too easy to kill you. If we hurt your partner, you'll live the rest of your days in dark turmoil."

Lavi felt his stomach meet his throat; the nausea almost overpowered him but he refused to give in. He never gave in. "What is that you require?" He asked quietly.

Another man stepped forward. This one was taller than Tyki and the other unnamed man; he towered over the captives and threw several pictures, all of the same man, to the floor in front of them. Lavi scrutinized all of them with precision before deducing they were of his boss, Malcolm C. Lvellie.

"What do you want us to do with that?" Lavi asked, glancing at Allen, who was staring at the photos with utter confusion.

"Your boss has been meddling with someone he shouldn't. Your job is to find out whom and write an article revealing it. Once you've done that and it's printed – and it has to be printed – we'll let you off and Allen will live."

"…And if it isn't printed?"

Tyki's beautiful, tanned visage warped into a sick, ominous grin as he looked at Allen sharply. The Brit sat up straight and his heart leapt into his throat in pure terror.

"He'll die."

Lavi gulped and looked back down at the photographs; there was no way that they could print a story humiliating his boss without their asses ending up on the street. He knew he'd need help. "Is it just us two?"

"What?"

"Do you want us two to be the only people involved?"

"In the investigation, yes. However, the rest is up to you. You can involve as many people as you like with printing and writing, or whatever it is you journalists do. You will be monitored and if we see someone other than you two on lookout – Allen will be shot without a second thought. Understand?"

The round man with the glasses had barely spoken a word; Tyki was doing all of the commanding, and Lavi wasn't quite sure why that was the case. He just stood there with his hands behind his back, his constant grin reminding the redhead of an evil clown from a child's nightmares.

"You have our word," Lavi muttered, feeling Allen's unreadable gaze fix onto him. The guilt built up in his chest and Lavi hated the feeling. "You can count on us, just don't hurt Allen."

Tyki was surprised that the man caved in so quickly; he had expected more of a fight and was rather disappointed. He wanted to continue to touch Allen's soft and supple skin and aggravate the redhead further, until his teeth were bared like a mad dog ready to attack. But, alas, Tyki had lost his chance. Though he was sure he'd find another way to get closer to the intriguing young man.

"All right. You best brace yourselves," Tyki suggested as he nodded toward two unseen people behind the Brit and the American.

"For wha—" Lavi's reply was cut from his throat as a heavy force fell upon the back of his head. He heard Allen cry out his name before he lost consciousness once more.


	13. Chapter 13

_Hey there!_

_Thanks to **CsillaDream**,** azumesta**, __**PoisonousDemon**, and__ **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan** for your reviews!_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Allen was shaking. He wasn't cold; in fact, quite the opposite – he found himself to be rather warm. No, he was being shaken by someone in hasty desperation. Allen cracked open a tired eye and found Lavi sitting in the driver's seat, panic etched on his handsome face as he continued shaking Allen, pleading silently for him to wake up. Allen opened both eyes and blinked in the harsh, burning sunlight, his eyesight blurring for a few moments.

"Allen, you're alright!" Lavi was relieved, more relieved than he'd like to believe. For a very long moment, he was worried that the Brit had been hit a little too hard on his head and he'd lost him… But that wasn't the case, and Lavi wasn't going to lose him, now or ever, as long as he could help it.

"Lavi, what… What…" Allen looked around and realised he was strapped back in Lavi's car, this time without his beloved camera. Guilt rose in his chest and he remembered what had happened. He had dropped it and watched it smash into a million unfixable pieces. "My camera."

"It's just a camera, we'll get you a new one," Lavi soothed, rubbing the boy's back with affection. He placed a feathered kiss upon the white-haired boy's furrowed temple and was rewarded with an angry look.

"It wasn't just any camera, Lavi," Allen scolded, fury burning in his beautiful silver eyes. "That was a camera given to me by my father."

Lavi bit his lip; he had no idea of the sentimental value of the equipment and was now wishing that the company had given him the standard camera they give to all new photographers. For some reason, they had delayed in giving Allen his camera, and now the one that meant a lot to him emotionally lay broken and forgotten on a road in Manhattan. "I'm really sorry. I'll buy you a new one. I know it won't replace it, but…"

Allen placed a swift kiss on Lavi's unsuspecting lips. The redhead's eye fluttered closed as he pressed back with force. They lost all thought in the car, their emotions running high, and Lavi had the urge to touch Allen in places he had never thought about before, wanting Allen to toss his head back, gasping, moaning, panting, and…

Lavi jerked back quickly, he was letting any and all lust take over him. This was insane… He'd slept with Lulu Bell not too long ago, but now maybe his libido was teasing him, taunting him. Allen was incredibly pretty to look at, his snow white hair and pale skin, big grey eyes and luscious pink lips that drew Lavi closer and closer and oh god how he loved those lips. Before, Lavi would've played this off as needing to get laid, like he did when he kissed his partner at the Statue of Liberty, but this time he wasn't so sure. His chest tightened whenever Allen smiled at him, and his touch sent chills down his spine and ignited his nerves.

Lavi had to face it; he was attracted to his new partner. He couldn't bring himself to admit it openly just yet, but he knew the protest he gave to Tyki wasn't just fuelled by brotherly protection.

"Lavi?" Allen questioned when he figured that the silence had lingered for a little too long. "Are we going back to the office?"

Lavi snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Allen. The itching temptation came back in full force and now all Lavi would see was Allen beneath him, writhing and flushed and… _shit!_ _Get it together, Lavi!_ He smiled at the Brit reassuringly. "Yeah, I need to pull a team together."

"So, it wasn't a dream."

"No… I'm sorry," Lavi began before he grasped Allen's hands into his own, clasping them together, his lone eye gazing into the Brit's two blinking ones with sincerity. "Allen, I promise you that no one is going to touch a hair on your pretty head. I swear that with my own life. Do you trust me?"

"Yes," Allen whispered, gratefulness flashing through his expressive eyes.

Lavi grinned. "Great! Let's go back and grab some doughnuts. We need to pull a meeting…"

Allen didn't say anything in reply as he twiddled his thumbs, still feeling Lavi's heat on his hands as his heart began to race. Lavi's touch was more than just encouraging; it calmed every last nerve in Allen's body and set his senses alight with arousal. He couldn't really remember why or how he fell for his eccentric friend, all he knew was that he'd fallen into a deep, dark pit and there was no way to climb out until Lavi's touch gave him hope of revival and light.

Lavi started the car and sped off back to Black Order Publishing, trying his hardest to keep his attention on the road and oncoming traffic, but Allen's wellbeing crept into the back of his mind as he quickly looked to the side to find Allen gazing out of the window at the scenery passing him by, apathy written in his eyes.

* * *

Lou Fa, Bak Chan, Fou, Shifu, Rikei, and Kanda sat around Lavi and Allen as the two described what had happened to them and why they needed their help. Kanda sat apart from the circle, pretending not to be interested in what the pair had to say, but Lavi noticed that every now and again the stoic man's expression changed before he caught himself and it quickly turned back to frowning and scowling.

"So… Let me get this right," Fou began, crossing one leg over the other and folding her arms over her chest. "You were kidnapped, which explains why you both look like shit, and have been told to 'investigate' the boss?"

"Pretty much," Lavi confirmed, shrugging his shoulders.

"That's—"

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Kanda growled from his excluded seat. "You want us to endanger our jobs because you got a little too big-headed and now you're in hot water."

"You don't understand, Yuu!"

Kanda stood up, kicking his chair over as he crossed over to the redhead and pulled him up by his collar, his snarling face inches from the redhead's. "Don't call me that. How any times do I have to tell you?"

"Sorry…" Lavi gasped as his face began to turn blue. He coughed and wheezed until the Japanese man released his hold. "All we need from you," Lavi began again as he rubbed his neck. "Is back-up so we can print the article. We'll do the investigating and writing and shit. It's our necks on the line, not yours. Komui won't allow us to print the article alone and that's why we need you."

There was a hum of indifference until Lou Fa raised a hand. She turned a vivid red when she felt Allen's eyes fall on her figure. "I'll help you two."

Lavi grinned; he knew that the girl wouldn't pass up a chance to spend time around Allen if she could help it. He almost felt annoyed that someone else had affection for the cute white-haired boy. He coughed into his fist, accidentally catching the Brit's confused gaze, and shook the thoughts from his head. "Thanks, Lou Fa. I'm sure Allen's very thankful. Right, Allen?" He jabbed his friend's side and received a warning look in return.

Allen cleared his throat. "Yes, it's much appreciated," he echoed.

"Well, if Lou Fa's helping," Fou began, scratching the back of her head carelessly. "I guess I can too."

"Yeah, we'll help as well." The others joined in, promising the two their alliance and help. Lavi felt his heart flutter. He had thought, for the longest time, that everyone in the office hated him, but he was wrong. Lavi turned his attention to Kanda who had not said a word since his outburst.

"Yuu—"

"Watch it, stupid rabbit."

"Will you help us?" Lavi asked, offering out his hand as a sign of cooperation which Kanda slapped aside.

"I won't shake your damn hand, but I'll help as long as you promise that I won't lose my fucking job."

Lavi saluted the Asian with a deliberate smile. "Of course, I promise."

Kanda said nothing and left, letting out a huff as he scrambled to get a cigarette from his coat pocket. He held one out to Lavi, who looked from the cigarette to Allen. The white-haired boy looked dejected, alone, and afraid. Lavi felt his heart melt and turned down the social agreement, which Kanda took with a shrug and left, tucking the cigarette behind his ear like an artist with his favourite pencil. Lavi patted Allen's shoulder and gave him a smile.

"It'll be okay, I told you."

Allen only nodded and did his best to return the smile with as much genuine happiness as he could muster. It was hopeless, he believed. He would never find solace now that his life was on the line, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was a glimmer of hope reaching out to him – that tiny sliver of hope that Lavi gave him whenever his touch lingered a little longer, or when the affection in his green eye appeared to be a little more than friendly.

Allen, helplessly, fell harder than he ever had before.


	14. Chapter 14

_Hey there!_

_Thanks to __**z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**,__**PoisonousDemon**, and__ **CsillaDream** for your reviews!_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Komui Lee sat at his desk, a small smile playing across his features as Reever watched him with curiosity.

"Sir?" Reever questioned, picking a book from Komui's extensive collection before sitting in the white chair opposite the man's desk.

"Yes? Sorry, was I daydreaming?" The man scratched the back of his head, tipping his favourite beret to an odd angle, and then sat up straight, skimming through the new documents that his employees had given him yesterday.

Reever was silent for a moment, staring at the working man with a knowing expression. "Chief?"

"Hmm? Yes, what is it, Reever?"

"What were you thinking about?" the Australian asked. Previous experience led him to believe that the answer would probably be something about his younger sister, the receptionist Lenalee. However, nothing had braced the blond for the reply he was given.

"The team," Komui said, resting his chin on his interlocked fingers professionally. "They're going to start a riot."

Reever went pale and his collar felt tight around his neck. "Shouldn't we stop them?"

"Why? It's about time Lvellie got what was coming to him." Komui stood up and strolled over to the large window occupying the entire back wall. He turned his back to Reever and clasped his hands together behind himself. He looked down upon the streets of Manhattan with a sad gaze before turning his head slightly, the glare of the sun catching his glasses and giving him a mysterious look. "Don't you agree, Reever?"

The blond Australian had nothing to say, despite his wholehearted agreement.

* * *

Allen and Lavi returned to the apartment shortly after making a plan with the group. They were carrying food they had bought from the local Chinese restaurant. The scent overpowered Allen, leaving him drooling. Lavi moved around the room swiftly, pulling the blinds shut as he looked out of his screen door. The black car and the black-suited man had moved from Allen's apartment and were now stood before Lavi's. The redhead hadn't told Allen this, not wanting to worry him further. He was sure that the man was harmless and was only there to make sure they kept their side of the deal; nothing more, nothing less.

Allen had begun to serve the meals, revelling in the sweet-and-sour scent of the cuisine as he took a deep sniff of his chow mein and handed Lavi his sweet-and-sour with rice. The American took the plate and grabbed a fork from the drawer near the sink, Allen moving his small hips out of the way perfectly, as if he had done so several times. They were well aware of the fact that they were acting like a married couple, but they didn't particularly care. Lavi was glad to have someone close, and Allen just wanted to be needed.

They ate their meals on Lavi's beige sofa, their faces illuminated by his widescreen TV as they watched with gormless expressions. It was a late night comedy show, which didn't surprise Lavi; it had just turned midnight when the pair had arrived home, exhaustion non-existent in their moods. When they were finished, Allen took both plates and placed them into the sink, running the hot water over them as he chided Lavi for not having a dishwasher. It was all in good fun, and Lavi merely replied that it was too expensive for him.

Allen then pointed out that he had an extravagantly large television, despite the fact that he was barely home. Lavi silenced him with a kiss. This time, however, nothing happened. There was no conversation as Lavi moved behind Allen silently. He placed his hands on Allen's waist and twirled him around; the Brit held up his soaped hands in surrender, the suds sliding down his elegant fingers as Lavi placed a fervent kiss upon his lips. The feelings became too familiar and Lavi was intoxicated by Allen's presence; he was damn sure that he was falling for his companion.

But the argument came to him quickly – they had only known each other for a week (almost coming up to two), and the way they acted made it seem like they'd known each other forever. Allen deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue forward and through Lavi's closed lips. The young man's wet arms came up and around Lavi's neck, pulling him closer, their bodies flush together.

Lavi lost control. He shouldn't have, but he did. His hands moved lower and grasped at Allen's behind, earning him a low moan that echoed through the humming apartment. Lavi pressed forward, Allen's back meeting the counter top, the warm water seeping through his white shirt. He almost gave a sign of protest, but then Lavi's lips were on his neck and he tossed his back instead, all arguments having gone and flown away.

"Bedroom?" Lavi whispered into Allen's soft skin. The young man shivered in response, and then nodded, allowing himself to be pulled into the room that he had never even set foot in before. His back met the mattress and Lavi climbed on top of him; his face was fierce, passionate, and arousing.

"Lavi?" Allen questioned as their lips became attached again. "Lavi!"

Lavi jerked himself awake and cursed loudly. He'd fallen asleep on the sofa and Allen was sitting beside him, his white sleeves rolled up his arms – he'd done the washing up and it had all been a dream. Lavi felt the uncomfortable presence of excitement in his trousers as he moved to sit up. "Why'd'ya wake me?" He asked sleepily, rubbing his eye sluggishly. He really wanted to let the dream continue all the way to the climax and – _oh_!

There was no denying it now, Lavi realised; he almost dreamt that he'd slept with his partner, and wanted nothing more than to continue. He licked his lips and swallowed nervously. He had shamelessly fallen in love with Allen.

"You were snoring and I couldn't hear the TV."

Lavi snorted in response and got up from the sofa. "I'm going to take a shower," he muttered, walking into the bathroom and closing the door behind him with a click.

Allen gazed at the closed door, lust pulsing through his veins. Lavi was taking a shower. Lavi was naked and taking a shower. He slapped himself across the face and ordered himself to wake up – he shouldn't treat Lavi that way.

After all, Lavi saw him as nothing more than a companion. Yet the constant kissing confused the white-haired boy. He gingerly touched his lips in thought; he was aware that Lavi notorious for sleeping with all of his partners. He'd heard from Fou that Lavi had gone through at least 10 attractive women partnered to him before Allen came along. Allen began to panic. He didn't want to be Lavi's toy, he wanted to be Lavi's friend, and that's all he'd ever wanted to be. But now things were confusing and it was Lavi's fault. He was the one who kissed him at the Statue of Liberty, not the other way around. Allen twisted the tea towel he held in his hands, having forgotten to hang it back up after finishing the dishes. He was angry. Lavi had made him this way, and Lavi was going to take responsibility one way or another.


	15. Chapter 15

_Hello again!_

_Thanks to **CsillaDream**, **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**, and **PoisonousDemon**__ for your reviews!_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Lavi couldn't sleep. Allen plagued his dreams, and every dream ended the same way: Allen running to him before falling to a bloodied heap, Tyki behind him holding a smoking revolver. The first time, he awoke with sweat dripping down his forehead and a sharp chill in his bones. His only comfort was the distant purr of Allen's snoring in the living room. However, after the fifteenth time, Lavi climbed out of bed and padded into the kitchen. He lifted a blind tentatively; the man was still present outside, though this time he was sat in the car, sleeping. He grabbed a glass and filled it halfway with water before placing the rim to his dry lips and drinking without stopping until the glass was empty. He gasped in satisfaction and placed the empty tumbler on the kitchen counter.

"Lavi?" Allen's question wavered through the cold, thin late January air. The redhead filled the glass once more and walked out into the living room. Allen was curled up on the sofa, covered in several blankets, each of the layers sliding as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lavi replied, his voice husky and dry. "Want a drink?"

Allen shook his head – or Lavi thought he did, but he couldn't really see well in the blank moonlight streaming through the small gaps in the blinds. Lavi sat at the end of the sofa and sipped on the water, feeling Allen's drowsy gaze on his face. "Why are you awake?" Allen asked.

"Bad dreams. Did I wake you?"

"Mmn," Allen confirmed as he pulled his legs up under the blanket and rested his chin against his knees. "I was having a nightmare anyway."

"I'm sorry," Lavi whispered, dropping his head regretfully. Allen leaned forward, sitting on his knees now, and placed an arm around Lavi's shoulders.

"Don't be."

"It's my fault!"

"Lavi, please," Allen pleaded, rubbing his hand up and down Lavi's back in a soothing gesture. "You were only doing your job; it's not your fault."

Lavi snorted in disbelief. He couldn't believe how naïve Allen truly was. It was refreshingly irritating. "Don't say that."

"Lavi—"

"No, Allen!" Lavi shouted, standing up agitatedly. Allen backed off, scared by Lavi's sudden outburst, and huddled himself in the corner of the sofa. "God damn it, it's all my fault. If I could, I would make you change partners – but that would kill you."

Allen didn't say anything as he pulled all the blankets up close. "… Don't you want me any more?"

"No, Allen! It's not that! I just don't want you to be involved any more, but that _fucking_ Tyki – he had to involve you!"

Allen rolled onto his side, not wishing to hear any more of Lavi's tangent. "Go to sleep, Lavi."

"Come to bed with me," Lavi pleaded, turning on his heel, his face and attitude changing temperamentally.

"No, Lavi."

"But… Why?" Lavi whispered. Hearing the hurt in his voice pained Allen, but he couldn't allow himself to be a pawn in the game Lavi wanted to play.

"Because I can't keep playing this game with you. You confuse me, Lavi, and I'm scared."

"Scared?"

"Yes, scared. I'm scared that I'll fall too hard for you and I'll never get out of it. Please, just stop."

Lavi didn't say anything; he couldn't say anything. After all, what was there to say? He hadn't realised that Allen felt this way, and he wasn't aware that'd he'd been playing a game – it wasn't a game. At least, not to Lavi. Did that mean that, after all this time, Allen saw it as a game and was sick of losing?

He left the living room abruptly, startling Allen, and slammed his bedroom door shut. He was hurt. He had believed that Allen's feelings were real, but they turned out to be false. He didn't think Allen could be the kind of person to do that to someone. It didn't add up, but the evidence was there and it _hurt_. Lavi climbed into his bed and succumbed to a dreamless, fitful sleep.

* * *

Allen and Lavi conversed as little as possible the next day. They said short, curt words to each other in the apartment and ignored each other's presence at the office. Ciancia Magazine received a new recruit that day: a beautiful young brunette from Japan named Sachiko. She bowed before her fellow employees and smiled sweetly. Lavi was instantly attracted. He flashed his charming grin, stepping forward and introducing himself as he kissed her hand. The girl's cheeks grew warm, and she giggled and tripped over her words. Allen's look grew sour as he turned away, not wanting to be a part of the silly charade.

Kanda's absent photographer, Arystar Krory, returned later that day. Allen recognised him as the man who had run out after the Japanese man had yelled at him. He knew very little about Krory except for the fact that his girlfriend, Eliade, had passed away recently and the subject was rather fragile to approach. Krory seemed to be okay, but the slightest thing could make him break down into sobs and sniffles. Kanda seemed to have cooled off a little, talking to the man with a nicer tone than before, though his words still had a harsh edge to them.

Sachiko was appointed to Bak, the only member of Ciancia to not have a photographer, since his ran off to a new job a week before Allen arrived. Sachiko wasted no time in settling into the group. One by one, each and every one of the employees, sans Allen, introduced themselves, dazzled by her deep, expressive, melted-chocolate eyes. All thoughts of Allen and how hurt he was flew out the door when Lavi met Sachiko; he leaned on her desk in a seductive manner and invited her out to dinner later that night – _just_ to show her around.

Allen's heart began to ache as every word drilled into his soul. He felt a lump rising in his throat and his eyes began to sting, tears forming and rolling slowly down his cheeks. He was glad to have a seat that faced away from the rest of the group, as he feared he couldn't control his heartbreak. He had known all along that he was just a plaything to Lavi, but now that the evidence was so solid and right in front of him, his heart began to break into a million pieces – pieces that he couldn't pick up as he fell down, down, down, deep into a pit of despair.


	16. Chapter 16

_Hello again!_

_Thanks to **DGrayManFanatic**, **CsillaDream**, **Guest** (who I assume is **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**), **PoisonousDemon**, and **azumesta**__ for your reviews!_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Allen returned to Lavi's apartment alone, carrying a bag of groceries purchased from Walmart. He had to take a taxi out of Manhattan. It had taken about 2 hours to do his task and return home but he felt like it was worth it. He climbed the stairs in the cool building unaccompanied, a shiver running through his spine as he turned the corner on the second floor and stopped in his tracks.

Tyki Mikk was leaning against the off-white wall of the apartment, wearing a grey vintage coat and black trousers, with dress shoes instead of the thick pointed boots he was usually seen parading about in. He still donned a top hat, which covered his dark, wavy hair and shadowed his beautiful, iridescent eyes. He looked up and smiled when he heard footsteps approaching. There was something off about his smile; it wasn't sinister like before, but it wasn't heart-warming either. It was just a smile. "Hello, boy."

"Can I help you, Tyki?" Allen asked, not moving an inch despite his desperation to get into the apartment.

"No, not really. I was just hoping to see you again." Tyki kicked himself away from the wall and sauntered towards Allen. "I can't get you out of my head."

"That's not my problem," Allen retorted, avoiding eye contact with the devilish actor. He felt a hand on his cheek, the gentle heat a stark contrast to the sharp coldness of his own skin.

"You haven't made much progress with your investigation, but we haven't given you a time limit, so don't worry. I am trying my damnedest to make sure not a hair on your head is harmed. I'm sorry your life is the bargaining chip for this task, but it's the only thing that would make your partner work."

Allen couldn't be sure if the Portuguese man was lying or not, but he did look up and face the man with sincerity. Tyki removed his touch from Allen's skin and began to retreat down the stairs before turning back and blowing a kiss to him. "The man outside will not harm you, so do not fear him. If you have any questions, ask him. I hope to see you again Allen."

Allen blinked. What did he mean by the man outside? Was his stalker now camping outside Lavi's flat? Did Lavi know about this? Allen longed to ask Tyki the questions running through his head, but the beautiful actor had already vanished.

* * *

Lavi came home earlier than Allen expected. He had also returned drunker than Allen would have liked. He stormed in and closed the door clumsily, the loud bang echoing through the half-quiet apartment. Allen was sat at the table eating a sandwich he'd made from scratch with the recently purchased provisions.

"How was your date?" Allen asked coldly.

"Sucked. D'y'know why?" Lavi slurred.

"Because you got wasted and became inappropriate," Allen rebuked, taking another bite of his homemade sandwich and chewing thoughtfully.

"No! Because of you!"

"Me?!" Allen cried out, insulted. "What have I done to you?"

"Y'came t'New York! Tha's wha'!"

Allen sighed, irritated and exhausted. He lowered his sandwich onto the plate and coughed. "I apologise for being a presence in your otherwise interesting life."

"Shaddup!" Lavi cursed as he reached into the fridge to grab a can of beer. He slammed the fridge door shut angrily when he found none. "You! You and y'cute faces and y'nice pers'nality."

Allen looked up in alarm. "What about them?"

"Shit. I never liked guys, y'know? And then, y'come along and suddenly… Y'all I can think abou'!"

Allen turned pink and coughed into his fist once more, uncomfortable in his current position. "How is that my fault?"

"Because I love you!"

Allen didn't move; his mind processing the information handed to him by the intoxicated fool. Lavi was swinging his leg as he rested a clumsy hand on the kitchen counter. After a few minutes passed without a reply, Lavi pushed himself forward and pressed his palm to his uncovered eye.

"Shit. Shit," he cursed as he collapsed on the sofa, his legs against the floor and his cheek against the soft blankets that Allen slept with; his eye was half-lidded with an intoxicated haze. "I love you," he whimpered into the covers. "I love you. I love you. I love you, damn it!"

Allen still didn't budge, his heart breaking at every word Lavi professed. He wanted so hard to believe him, he truly did, but he couldn't open himself up to such a vulnerable position. "L-Lavi—"

"I hate that I love you."

Allen said no more and rose from the table, the chair scraping against the modern wooden floor. The words that Lavi declared had turned into loud, obnoxious snores as he fell asleep in the very awkward position. Allen had half a mind to pull him up and drag him into his own room, but instead left him there and went to take a shower.

He undressed himself carefully and ran his finger down his scar. Just what did Lavi "love" so much about him? He was ugly to look at and his personality sucked. He stepped into the shower and leant against the tiled wall. His hot tears mixed with the rapid water drilling onto his pale skin, unearthing every single last one of his desires and washing them from his body. The water trickled down the drain while the thrashing water from the showerhead made a sweet melody to accompany Allen's constant melancholy.

When he left the shower, clad in only a towel, Lavi was still on the sofa, snoring away and muttering something in his state of unconsciousness. Allen grabbed his pyjamas and changed before running a comb through his silky white hair and tying it back into a ponytail. He was going to stay up tonight and care for Lavi, just as Lavi would do for him if he were in his state. The redhead had reached out to him and protected him, and as Allen gazed at his own reflection – no longer seeing the scar that had always held him back – he was determined to return the favour.


	17. Chapter 17

_Buongiorno! (Or if it's night time over where you are, buonasera!)_

_Thanks to **CsillaDream**, **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**, **PoisonousDemon**, and **azumesta**__ for your reviews!_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Lavi was sick.

That was an understatement; at the moment, the world hated him and he hated it right back. His stomach was churning, his eye was sore, and his head was spinning. He sat up and pulled the blanket off himself – he was sure he had fallen asleep on top of them – and looked around the room. Allen was sat in a dining room chair, snoozing peacefully. Lavi deduced that the boy had stayed up for most of the night looking after him. He smiled affectionately and ruffled the white mop of hair, alerting Allen, who snorted himself awake.

"Oh, you're awake," Allen muttered, yawning quietly. Lavi coughed into his fist and nodded; his throat was sore and his voice was probably croaky.

"Did you look after me?"

"Yeah," Allen admitted bashfully, sitting up and moving into the adjoining kitchen to make a pot of coffee for the hung-over man. Lavi slumped onto at seat at the dining room table, watching impatiently as his friend moved around the place with expertise and handed him a cup of steaming black coffee moments later. Allen had one himself and sat opposite the redhead, eyeing him carefully. "Are you okay?"

"I feel like shit if that's what you mean," Lavi grumbled as he took a sip of his coffee; it soothed his core as it ran down his throat.

"Maybe you shouldn't get so drunk." Allen chided him, his tone soft and teasing. Lavi had missed the sound of his voice.

"Maybe not," he agreed as he looked down at his coffee cup, ashamed to have been so openly vulnerable to Allen last night. God only knows what he must've said to the innocent young man. "Allen, whatever I said last night…" the boy visibly froze, "…I'm sorry."

Allen went red to the tips of his ears and hid his embarrassment by looking down at the mug enclosed in his hands. "Did you mean it?"

Now Lavi was confused. What had he said, exactly, and what was he supposed to mean? "What did I say?"

"That you loved me," Allen replied in a shy, timid voice. Lavi became flustered and banged his head against the table in anguish, groaning when the pain resonated through his headache.

"God damn it."

"… You didn't mean it?"

"Oh shit, Allen," Lavi began, looking back up at the boy sympathetically. "It's too early, please don't ask."

Allen said no more and turned all of his attention to his coffee. Once he was done he took their half-full mugs into the kitchen to be cleaned. Lavi wanted to protest that he hadn't finished, but he figured it was best not to press the white-haired man's buttons in the acidic state he appeared to be in.

* * *

The next few days passed by slowly. Allen received a gift from Lou Fa: another cupcake – this time the icing was blue – and a post-it note telling him to not give up. He almost wanted to laugh at the irony. _Don't give up_, what a pointless phrase. He ate the cupcake quickly and then proceeded to ask Lou Fa out on a date, much to Lavi's annoyance.

He couldn't say anything about it, though. He'd hurt Allen in the worst way possible, and he was merely getting his comeuppance. Sachiko, as it turned out, wasn't annoyed about the date at all; she found Lavi's intoxication to be mildly amusing, and had asked Lavi if he wanted to go out on a second date. Lavi had never been on many second dates in his life – he normally ended up bedding the girl by the first – but as Sachiko looked at him with her large brown eyes (not as pretty as Allen's silver ones, Lavi noted), he couldn't exactly say no. He knew he shouldn't have done it, considering the poor guy was on edge about everything and tiptoeing around a fire that Lavi had set off, but if Allen was willing to play the game then Lavi wanted nothing more than to join in.

Fou had heard about Sachiko and Lavi's date, and suggested that they should double-date with Lou Fa and Allen, before adding that Lou Fa was a girl of nervous disposition (she squeaked a protest). Sachiko was delighted with the idea, and decided for the four of them. They were going to be meeting at Babbo down Waverly Place at eight o'clock. Lavi and Allen returned to the apartment together after work. The tensions were high as they changed into their best suits, determined to outdo each other.

"You finally asked her out, huh?" Lavi teased; his tone was nasty and spiteful, and it hurt Allen down to the core.

"What else could I do? Wait for someone to make their mind up?" Allen criticized with just as much sourness as Lavi had mustered.

Lavi didn't say anything in reply as he dropped his hands from the bow tie he was doing up and gazed sorrowfully at his reflection. He was hurting himself with this game. He didn't want to go out with Sachiko, not really. He'd rather this date was between him and Allen, but there was nothing he could do now.

Eight rolled around as Allen and Lavi drove up the restaurant. The atmosphere was tense but subtle in the car; Lavi's hands itched to hold Allen's as he changed gears, and Allen longed to kiss Lavi's cheek and tell him it was okay, but it was impossible. Neither of them could surrender themselves so easily to the desires they had held for the longest of times.

Sachiko was dolled up in a nice black dress that ended at her knees; she tastefully wore peephole heels, and her make-up was delicate and natural. Lou Fa was wearing a nice blue floral blouse and white trousers, her hair was still in braided pigtails, and her eyes were enlarged through her glasses. Allen offered his arm out to Lou Fa, who took it with a pink face. Lavi gave the white-haired man a jealous look before doing the same to Sachiko who pressed herself against his entire arm with a picture-perfect smile.

The meal was awkward, and the girls were the ones to begin every conversation – all of which Allen joined in with enthusiasm, much to Lou Fa's delight. Lavi had very little to say about anything, and instead spent the date gawking at Allen and scowling at the suit he was wearing. Lavi wanted nothing more than to tear it off him and taste the supple skin underneath.

Sachiko noticed every little thing that Lavi did and, with a defeated sigh, she called the waiter at the end of the meal and left the restaurant abruptly. Lavi, surprised, clambered out of his seat and chased after her, excusing himself from the table. He grabbed her arm before she could call a taxi and demanded to know why she had done that.

"Do you think I don't notice?" She asked him, incredulously.

"Notice what?"

"The way you look at Allen! It's so obvious, Lavi!"

The redhead was befuddled; he had tried hard to make sure it was hidden, but now maybe his poker face was beginning to slip. "I'm sorry."

Sachiko bit her lip. "So, it's true. You really do like him. I thought everyone was joking about it, but now it all makes sense."

Lavi pulled away from Sachiko and allowed her to grab a taxi and return home. Before she climbed into the back of the taxi she pressed her lips softly against Lavi's and in his ear she whispered: "Tell him the truth, Lavi; otherwise you'll both end up hurting yourselves."

Lavi watched as the yellow car drove away. Her kiss lingered on his lips, but he didn't feel the searing intensity that he had felt when he first kissed Allen. It was there, in the middle of Waverly Place, that Lavi decided that he was going to tell Allen everything, hoping he wasn't too late.


	18. Chapter 18

_Hello Hello~!_

_At last, here is the moment you've all been waiting for (I hope)!_

_Thanks to **PoisonousDemon**, and **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan** for your reviews**  
**_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Lavi's plan didn't go into full effect until after the weekend. He heard from Lenalee that Lvellie was taking an early night from work, which was unusual, considering he was known to be married to his job and stayed in his office until midnight nearly every night. Lavi and Allen planned to trail the boss in Lavi's car, but they had a strategy: they would be at least two cars behind him so that it wouldn't be deemed suspicious. If Tyki and his unnamed boss were correct, he'd be doing something shady – but if they were wrong, Lavi was unsure of what to do. He couldn't drop out, because he'd have Allen's blood on his hands and that was something he really didn't want on his conscience, especially after coming to terms with the fact he was in love with him.

The clock turned seven and the elevator dinged. The numbers passed by, changing from seven – where Lvellie was situated with his assistant, Link – to G, where his car was parked. Allen and Lavi raced down the stairs in a hurried mass, passing the reception and catching their boss leaving as he waved goodbye to the two ladies at the front desk. They climbed into Lavi's car and the redhead ignited the ignition, all-but-slamming his foot on the accelerator and zooming out of the parking lot.

Lvellie's car was trying to get into the busy night traffic. Lavi didn't want to be ahead – luckily for him, Lvellie was an impatient driver, and pulled out in front of a green Range Rover which beeped at him angrily. Lavi allowed the Range Rover and the Beetle behind it to pass him before he pulled out into the traffic. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel in time with his heartbeat, alarming Allen.

"Will this work?" the white-haired boy asked as he fiddled with his new camera – Lavi had bought it for him at the weekend, and refused to accept money in return.

"Babe, when have I ever let you down?" Lavi returned with a charming grin that sent Allen's heart racing, his cheeks heating up.

"Don't call me babe," Allen protested with a slight pout to his lips.

"Sorry." Allen could tell that Lavi wasn't sorry at all. The whole weekend had confused the Brit. Lavi was being incredibly affectionate towards him, returning home with flowers as an apology and then offering to take him out to sushi – which Allen had accepted graciously, his stomach growling – and then the redhead had bought him a new and expensive camera. "Allen, I have something to tell you."

"Can it wait?" Allen pleaded, his nerves jittery and his stomach threatening to empty its contents onto his lap.

"Not really." Lavi's concentration was on the Volvo two cars in front of him, but his heart was set on Allen, wanting nothing more than to make the boy smile after hurting him for so long. "But it can wait until we're parked and on lookout."

Allen sighed in relief; he wanted to put off whatever it was that Lavi was going to say until he was on solid ground and the scenery wasn't whizzing past him like a merry-go-round. "He's turning."

Lavi let out a huff in comprehension and turned in the same direction, switching off the automatic lights so that their faces weren't visible. The two followed the Volvo like a cat stalking a mouse; they were determined to get the charge off Allen's unfortunate head, and if it meant that their jobs were on the line then so be it.

A few moments later, the Volvo stopped outside a warehouse on the other side of Manhattan. Lavi parked his vehicle a mile from the Volvo and turned the engine off. They figured it would be a while until Lvellie returned from the warehouse with whatever it was that he was doing.

Lavi turned to Allen, ready to pounce. "Can we talk now?" He asked desperately.

"Sure," Allen agreed, disinterested as he cleaned the lens of his camera and got it into position.

"Alright, here goes. I love you."

Allen dropped his camera on his lap and gaped at Lavi in surprise and relief. "Wh-what?"

"Damn, I love you," Lavi repeated, biting his lip as he waited for Allen's hesitant response.

"And you're 100% serious?"

"Absolutely. I mean every word."

Allen processed everything that was happening; his nerves were high, and he was not quite comfortable to be stalking his boss and uncovering whatever shady business he had. This news changed how Allen perceived everything. He had a huge smile on his face, and the crack of thunder that echoed over them didn't disturb his thoughts.

"I love you too," Allen replied after a few moments of silent celebration.

Lavi didn't say anything, but his green eye said it all. He was delighted, purely delighted, and he wanted nothing more than to pull the boy into a romantic kiss, but he knew he couldn't take his attention off the warehouse in front of him.

It could wait, he decided, until they got back to the apartment – and maybe, finally, Lavi's haunting dreams would become a reality.

Rain pelted hard against the metal and glass of the car, but the atmosphere inside was warm and inviting; Allen and Lavi were holding hands, calming each other's jittery nerves. Lavi had turned the windshield wipers on, not wanting the rain to distort any photos that Allen would take. Time passed slowly as the two waited, and waited, and waited.

Finally, progress. Lvellie left the warehouse carrying a black suitcase and shook hands with a shifty-looking figure inside the illuminated warehouse. Allen snapped photo after photo until the boss was in the car again and driving away. Allen looked through the shots he had captured until he was satisfied with the outcome, then looked at Lavi with a jovial smile. "I got them."

Lavi returned the grin wholeheartedly and restarted the ignition, driving out of the dangerous area. His heart fluttered and Allen consumed his thoughts.

He knew exactly who it was that Lvellie was dealing with; it was Devit, a well-known member of an underground mafia family. It was he who Tyki had dabbled with in his past, along with Devit's brother, Jasdero. They'd been hired by Noah Mark Record label and sources assumed they were fired once they were discovered to be part of the mafia. It was never confirmed, and left Lavi puzzled. The manager of the company was a shady person himself, and he'd never revealed himself – he went only by the name of the Millennium Earl; nobody knew his true identity, and Lavi doubted that anyone ever would.

The pair returned home shortly and raced up the stairs to their sanctuary. Lavi closed the door after Allen and the white-haired boy placed his camera on the dining room table. Lavi then moved to shut the blinds, closing away the prying eyes of the moon and starlight. He grasped Allen close to him. He brushed his lips over Allen's and revelled in the shiver that ran down Allen's spine as his arms looped around his neck and his knees buckled underneath him.

Lavi pressed his lips fully against Allen's, pushing his tongue through the seams of the young man's lips when he began to kiss back. The apartment was filled with breathless gasps and moans as Lavi's arousal brushed against Allen's own and he pushed him back onto the table, one hand holding him up for leverage. He sighed, satisfied when he pulled back to check his work. Allen's lips were kiss-swollen and his pale skin was flushed pink, his work shirt was dishevelled and his soft, white hair framed the picture of beauty.

With a cheeky smile, Allen wrapped his legs around Lavi's waist and the redhead knew exactly what the Brit wanted. With a groan of approval, he lifted the boy up and carried him to the bedroom, closing the door with his foot.


	19. Chapter 19

_Hello Hello~! _

_Thanks to **CsillaDream**, **PoisonousDemon**, **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**, and **azumesta** for your reviews**  
**_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Lavi and Allen fell into a heap on the mattress, one glowing green eye gazing adoringly into two wide and accepting silver ones. Allen's arms wrapped a little tighter around Lavi's neck as he pulled himself up to kiss him lovingly; there was little feverish passion involved and the world melted away. They became entranced by each other's presence. Lavi pulled away hesitantly as his nimble fingers came up from their hold on Allen's waist to undo the buttons on his shirt, slowly and teasingly. Allen sucked in air through his teeth as the cool air of the bedroom bit against his warm skin. Lavi's fingers roamed across the smooth planes of supple flesh before he took a nipple into his mouth and bit down gently.

Allen arched his back, longing for more of the warm wetness engulfing his chest; his heart was beating so rapidly he was afraid it would burst out of his ribcage. Lavi moved swiftly down to Allen's belt buckle and unbuckled it with a tantalising smirk and a mischievous sparkle in his gorgeous green eye. With his sharp, white teeth, the button popped open and he pulled the zipper down, his lips brushing against the white-haired boy's boxers making the young man almost cry out.

Lavi removed himself unwillingly from his partner's body and stripped himself of his shirt and trousers, before crawling back over Allen's figure. He took a deep breath and pressed his forehead against Allen's gently.

"Are you sure you want this?" Lavi asked, uncertainly.

"More than anything," Allen replied, his heart in his throat as he brought his hands up and around to roam the smooth planes of Lavi's toned back and pressed a soft kiss onto the redhead's jaw.

Moments later, Allen's head met the soft pillows on Lavi's bed as Lavi reached over for the lubricant he had bought for… recreational reasons. Lavi's lips occupied the pale skin on Allen's neck as his slicked fingers worked deftly, making sure that Allen was as well prepared as possible. He bit the younger man's collar bone, earning a yelp from the receiving partner, before kissing, licking, and sucking the area, the hurt fading as the hisses of pain melted into moans and gasps of pleasure.

Lavi pulled his fingers from Allen and lined himself; the boy wrapped his hands around Lavi's neck once more, the hold tightening when Lavi entered slowly until he was at the hilt. After a few moments, Lavi moved his hips and pulled himself from Allen before slamming back into him. The younger man arched and tossed his head back as a long, drawn-out moan was released from his lips. His hands came from around Lavi's neck to scratch at the smooth flesh on the redhead's back, causing welts to form as his nails dug a little deeper when Lavi moved a little faster. With precision, he hit the spot, and all Allen could see was stars as the redhead's name escaped his lips as a roaring groan.

The two became immersed in each other; the sounds of the headboard slamming against the walls woke the redhead's neighbours. The mattress squeaked from under them as their voices competed to become louder and louder and louder until—!

Lavi pulled himself from Allen and rolled over onto his back. He brushed a clammy hand through his matted locks and looked over to his newfound love. The young man had dozed off. Lavi decided, happily and appreciatively, that he should sleep too, pulling the white-haired man a little closer to him, their noses almost touching.

* * *

The two awoke early the next morning, wrapped in each other's embrace. They left the apartment holding hands and made their usual journey towards the nearest IHOP. During the meal, Allen inquired as to whether the redhead was aware of the man outside the apartment. When Lavi replied that he was, Allen refused to talk to him for the rest of the meal, despite Lavi's pleading and efforts to start conversations.

Now, Lavi wanted to curse the chirping birds that sang their morning praise as he commuted to work with Allen walking alongside him. Allen had a look of discomfort about his features, and whenever Lavi stopped to question him about it, the boy just looked away – shyly and timidly – and replied that it was nothing. He could sense Lavi's guilt, and he had an overwhelming urge to comfort and reassure his partner.

"You shouldn't feel guilty," Allen muttered aloud, catching the grumpy redhead's attention.

"About?"

Allen looked up, his expression reminiscent of a rabbit caught in headlights. "A-about that mafia thing—"

Lavi's expression changed considerably, and Allen knew he had stepped on a landmine. "Stop it, okay? I'll feel as guilty as I want for putting the person I love in such danger."

"But—"

"No, buts, Allen!" Lavi snapped, his eye narrowing viciously before he turned around swiftly, marching on ahead. Allen had been confused since dawn broke: Lavi had woken up in a foul mood, and had spent breakfast scowling and trying to make conversation. His attitude then worsened once Allen refused to speak to him. He couldn't understand why Lavi had been so angry; they'd spent the night together, and Allen had found himself waking up and smiling at the dozing sunshine despite the throbbing ache in his lower back.

Allen stopped.

Maybe that was it. Maybe Allen had been awful in bed, and it had put Lavi off from ever wanting to make love to him ever again. Or maybe Allen was just a bad bed-partner in general; he remembered being known for taking a lot of the covers and kicking his bed-partners in the back in the night.

After enough guesswork and blank answers, Allen came right out and asked him why the hell he was being so insufferable – right in the middle of the office. Buzzing, clicking, and humming stopped to hear the little lovers' spat. Lavi turned around to Allen with a look of fury and disbelief – now was not the time to be arguing, that was for sure.

"It doesn't matter, Allen," Lavi groaned out as he sat down into his seat heavily and turned his computer on with a flick of his wrist. Allen leaned forward, grabbed his boyfriend's free hand, and held it up to his chest.

"Lavi, talk to me. What's wrong?"

The redhead's green eye bored into Allen's silver ones, aflame in ferocity. He took a quick glance at the entire office, the hushed voices returning to their usual level of idle gossip as the clicking of mice and the humming of printers returned the office to life. "You just…" Lavi trailed off sheepishly.

"I just what?"

"You just seem to have this constant desire to not trust me."

Allen's heart sank deeply. He sucked his breath in between his teeth as he grabbed his new chair and sat down in front of Lavi. "Okay… I'm not sure I understand you, Lavi."

"I told you time and time again that I would protect you. But you just don't seem to believe me when I say it."

"Lavi if this is about what I said at breakfast, I'm sorry."

Lavi's lips pursed slightly, deep in thought. "You shouldn't be the one apologising. It was me who didn't say anything, but I just didn't want you to worry… You seem to be so stressed lately, and I just want to make things better."

"Lavi, you do make things better."

The redhead snorted violently in disbelief.

"You do!" Allen protested. Lavi's hand, still in his grip, was placed firmly to his beating heart. "You make things so much better by being at my side."

Lavi went red, his ears growing hot as he struggled to snatch his hand back. Upon realising that Allen wouldn't give it back so easily, he said the three little words that would make Allen's day the brightest he's ever seen. "I love you, Allen."

The unspoken sign of forgiveness was hidden in Allen's jovial, innocent, light-hearted smile. A smile that Lavi, try as he might, couldn't get out of his head throughout the entire day.


	20. Chapter 20

_Hello Hello~! Shout-out to the fellow SHINee fans reading this fic._

_Sorry for the lack of updates last Friday, I just finished my exams and college altogether so I kind of forgot about everything else, nevertheless, here is the chapter and I hope you enjoy it!_

_Thanks to__ **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**, and__ **PoisonousDemon **for your reviews_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Allen made his way down Columbus Avenue, a list of coffees and pastries clasped in his hand as he walked towards the nearest Starbucks. Lavi had dismissed him, telling him that the article could be written without his presence, which made Allen feel a little put-out, especially since when he made to leave everyone huddled around Lavi to discuss the article.

The Brit arrived at the coffee shop a short while later and made his way in, list still in hand and not forgotten. With his unfortunate luck, he bumped into a leaving customer, who looked down at him in surprise before greeting him with a familiar purr.

"Well, well. If it isn't you, boy," Tyki grinned predatorily, swapping his coffee cup from one hand to the other.

Allen blinked; he didn't recognise Tyki in the get-up he was sporting. He had a plain white t-shirt underneath a thick black cardigan and black skinny jeans tucked into regular combat boots. His usually slicked-back dark hair was free and framing his face, black curls brushing against his tanned cheeks, and his seductive golden eyes were enlarged by thick-rimmed glasses.

"Tyki?" he asked incredulously.

Tyki jumped slightly and pressed a long, slim finger to Allen's pink lips in silence. "Shush, not so loud."

Allen rolled his eyes before pushing past him to place his order with the young man behind the counter. Tyki glided backwards and rested an elbow coyly on the counter top, bringing coffee to his lips as his eyes danced with a smile. Allen groaned in frustration. "What do you want?"

"What do you see in Lavi Bookman?" Tyki asked unashamedly. Allen's innocent silver eyes widened considerably and his cheeks frosted pink. He coughed into his fist uncomfortably. Tyki almost made a comment on how adorable Allen looked, but hesitantly decided not to do so.

"What do you mean?"

"You know. It's obvious you've got the hots for him."

"I do not have the 'hots' for anyone, Tyki," Allen lied, his teeth grinding against themselves as he watched the barista make the coffees slowly and with an intense face.

Tyki didn't say anything, but gave a knowing hum. After a few minutes of silence, he began to speak again. "Alright, if that's what you want to claim, so be it. Though I'd tell him quick, because I think he may be interested in you too – but what's it to me if you get rejected. That just leaves for me to pick up the pieces, _não_?" Tyki placed his finger against the jawline of Allen's face and ran it slowly along the ridge before tilting his head towards him, bringing the young man's face closer to his, his heated breath ghosting against Allen's lips.

"Um," the youth behind the counter squeaked as he held Allen's order in his hands, his freckle-dotted face turning red in embarrassment before repeating the order and telling Allen the price. The white-haired boy handed him the company card with a professional air and Tyki took a few steps back.

Allen walked out of Starbucks with his order, and Tyki followed suit, his eyes transfixed on the younger man's hips as they swayed in rhythm with the drumming of his feet on the pavement. The Portuguese man picked up pace, muttering something in his native tongue to the boy before crossing the road and heading towards Central Park.

* * *

Allen was greeted with commotion when he returned back to Black Order Publishing.

"Where is Lavi Bookman?! I demand to meet him at once!" A petite girl yelled over the receptionist's desk.

Unfortunately for Miranda, she was the only person behind the desk, and the only person receiving the verbally violent commands. She raised a shaky hand in surrender to the girl before grabbing her phone quickly, crying out in woe as she dropped it from her hands. The girl moved away from the desk as Miranda ducked under to grab at it.

"Useless," the girl muttered. Miranda froze for a second before picking the phone up with a submissive smile and dialling rapidly, ignoring the tears forming in her eyes.

Allen moved towards Miranda and placed her coffee at the top of the counter. "Here you go."

Miranda didn't thank him verbally, but gave him a grand smile of relief that brought light to her beautiful face. The girl rolled her eyes and kicked herself away from the desk, giving Allen a once-over with an appreciative cat-like grin.

"Ignore her," Allen whispered to Miranda. "You're not useless."

Miranda looked down, a sad smile forming on her face as she turned away from Allen and began the conversation with the recipient of the phone call. Allen shot the girl a sideways look; she was dressed in an off-white blouse tied at the neck with a red ribbon, a purple skirt and pink checked socks with Mary Janes. Her spiky hair was dyed blue and, despite the fact she was not wearing her trademark top-hat, Allen still recognised the young female.

"Road Kamelot?"

The girl perked up when the cute boy recognised her. She stood up and curtsied slightly before sauntering over to Allen. "Yes, I'm glad you recognise me."

"Well…" Allen trailed off, awkwardly. He couldn't exactly tell her he recognised her from the photos he'd taken of her. He was stuck with the words on his tongue for a long moment until Lavi and Lenalee arrived into the reception in curiosity.

"Someone called for me?" Lavi asked, standing at the doorway, his hands in his trouser pockets and an uninterested and frankly _annoyed _look written in his eyes. Road snapped her attention away from the cute white-haired Brit before her and turned it to the redhead, her once-sweet smile turning vicious.

"You wrote that awful article about me!" Road declared. Lavi raised an eyebrow.

"Is that was this is about? Look, Road, go home, you're disturbing the office."

"No! Everyone thinks I'm dating my uncle, and it's weird!"

Lavi scratched his head uncomfortably before taking a deep breath and moving towards her. "I'm sorry. If it's the case that you're getting bad press because of it, we will write a new article dismissing the accusations."

"I want him to write it," Road requested, pointing at Allen in earnest. Allen shuffled on his feet, the coffee and pastries weighing heavily in his hands, the spotlight on him.

"He doesn't write, he's a photographer." Lavi shrugged his shoulders and made a move to go back up to the office; he nodded to Lenalee, who placed a tentative hand to Road's shoulder, which, to her relief, the young idol didn't try to shake off.

"Road, you should leave," Lenalee said lowly, her tone dark and menacing. Allen froze on the spot; Lenalee was quite terrifying when she chose to be.

Road bit her lip; she wanted to keep the battle up, but it was pointless without Tyki or her father with her to defend her honour. With a look that resembled a puppy being scolded, she turned on her heel and walked out the building, swinging a unique umbrella behind her back, before climbing into the back of a sleek black limo.

"Divas," Lavi muttered, before lurching forward and holding out his hands. "Oi, 'sprout! Gimme my muffin!"

Allen growled at the nickname and gave Lenalee her cappuccino, then walked over to his redheaded partner and handed the blueberry muffin over, along with the bitter-smelling black coffee and several packets of sugar. Lavi grinned appreciatively and walked with Allen upstairs to the office, where he delivered the rest of the treats to the hungry patrons.


	21. Chapter 21

_Hello Hello~! I am back from Paris with a new chapter! I hope you all had a lovely week!_

_Thanks to__ **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**, __**PoisonousDemon**, and **CsillaDream **for your reviews_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Lou Fa gazed at her computer screen dreamily, her thoughts set entirely on the new, cute, white-haired photographer that had joined the group. She had fallen for him at first sight. He was a gentleman to her, something that occurred rarely in the office – despite how much her partner, Rikei, would like to argue. She had wanted him to feel at home when he arrived, so she devised a plan to get his attention. She started off by getting him black coffee with two sugars, because she had overheard Allen tell Lenalee that that was his favourite type of coffee. Then, a few days later, Allen had complained about having a craving for cupcakes because Lavi kept bringing him Krispy Kreme doughnuts, so Lou Fa baked several home-made cupcakes and frosted each of them uniquely and set them down for him; he had appreciated the sentiment, she was sure.

But her plan had begun to crumble when Lavi had caught her delivering the anonymous sweet to Allen's desk. Her heart raced and her palms sweated – Lavi was used to getting a lot of female attention; even she appreciated that he was extremely good looking and funny, but she was sure he wouldn't mind if his new partner got some attention too. His look was weird, though, Lou Fa had noticed. It wasn't quite one of envy, but not quite one of apathy. He was jealous, that was written in his eye, but Lou Fa could sense it wasn't of Allen receiving attention. It confused the young Chinese woman, so she took it upon herself to investigate. She had got Fou to join in, despite her vehement request not to. Every day she watched as Allen and Lavi interacted with each other, and every day her heart broke a little more. Their actions became a little less friendly and a little more intimate. Lavi's hand used to rest on Allen's shoulder, but now it rested on his lower back, and Allen's smile was always accompanied by an almost adoring look in his beautiful silver eyes.

And then she walked in on the one thing she hoped would have never happened.

* * *

Lavi asked Allen to stay behind once everyone had cleared out of the office to go home. He had told him that he needed help with the article and placement of photographs, and then which photographs to use. Some were blurry, but some were crystal clear, and Lavi needed to know which of the good ones to use. The two spent an hour laughing, joking, and arguing over the photographs before Lavi stood up to stretch his legs and asked Allen if he wanted a drink, to which the white-haired boy had said yes.

Lou Fa had accidentally fallen asleep at her computer. She had told her friends she was staying behind to do some clearing up on the photos Rikei had taken a few days before. She wiped her drooling mouth lazily with a sweater-sleeved arm before stretching them above her head. She looked up to see that Allen and Lavi were still in the office, much to her misfortune. She listened intently to the conversation that unfolded, hoping to catch something that would disprove the theory she was currently holding.

"Black, two sugars, right?" Lavi said, grabbing his wallet from his coat pocket.

"Yeah. Also, I'm thinking we should get a pizza tonight," Allen suggested. Lavi let out a breath of amusement.

"You're not cooking?"

"Why would I? I'm too tired." Allen emphasised this with a dramatic yawn.

"Alright, alright, we'll pick one up later when we're done."

"Sounds good," Allen said, a smile evident in his voice. There was silence for a minute, and Lou Fa's eyes widened when she looked up, suddenly wishing she hadn't.

Lavi had leaned across the desk and was now kissing the white-haired boy intimately. Allen had his hands wrapped around Lavi's neck and was kissing him back fervently. Lou Fa felt warm and devastated. She made a loud noise as she stood up, her chair scraping against the floor, and the couple jumped apart; Allen's face was tomato red and Lavi was scowling. She grabbed her things and made for the door, refusing to look back at the heart-breaking scene.

Allen felt awful; he had no idea that anyone was still present in the office, let alone Lou Fa. He could tell by the sympathetic look on Lavi's face that he, too, felt guilty about the whole thing.

"I'll go get the coffee," Lavi muttered and left quickly without another sound. Allen sat in the office alone for a very long time, before a loud buzzing sound shattered the silence. A tentative hand pulled out his phone from his coat pocket, and he looked at the home screen. It told him that he had one new text message, and with a strained smile he unlocked his phone and read it.

"_How are you doing, boy_?" The message had been sent by an unknown number, but Allen had an inkling as to who would dare to text him using that tone of voice.

"_What do you want Mikk_?" He typed back swiftly and set his phone down, waiting for Lavi to return.

The phone buzzed again, not to Allen's surprise, as he picked it up with a heavy sigh and read the new text that had been sent through.

"_Can't I just text my favourite photographer_?"

Allen clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth before replying: "_Only when you want something._"

He hit send and was half debating internally whether or not to go help Lavi with the coffee.

_Buzz_. New Message.

"_Just checking to make sure you made a move on Bookman_."

"_Why do you care_?" Send.

_Buzz_.

"_I'm just interested. Have you_?"

"_None of your business_." Send.

"What are you doing?" Lavi asked out of thin air, surprising the boy, who was immersed in his phone conversation.

"N-nothing!" Allen lied, locking his phone and slipping it into his grey trousers' pocket. Lavi raised a suspicious eyebrow, but didn't press further; instead, he placed the steaming cup of coffee in front of Allen and sat on his chair before taking a careful sip. He let out a gasp and held his tongue out, his eye watering.

"Oww, it's hot."

"Dummy, you've only just made the coffee," Allen chided gently as he watched the steam curl in the air, the ends flickering as it dissipated into nothing. Lavi said nothing in retort as he turned his attention to the pictures on his screen. Allen's hand wandered absent-mindedly towards his pocket as he felt the familiar buzzing resonate through his leg. He pulled it out swiftly, unlocked the screen, and read the message.

After a few long moments of thought, Lavi clicked one at random and watched Allen's reaction. The white-haired boy was glaring angrily at his phone, the screen illuminated as Lavi looked over his shoulder to see what the deal was.

Allen hid the phone from Lavi's sight and furrowed his eyebrows. He unselected the picture and clicked two of his best photos, giving Lavi an official look. The redhead glanced between his partner and the photos before sighing and giving in. Allen was the professional, after all.

Allen gazed at the phone with a faraway look; they'd been set a deadline by Tyki's boss. He had picked the end of the week, and the time began to count down on Allen's head.


	22. Chapter 22

_Hello Hello~! (Is this getting old yet?)_

_Thanks to__ **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**, and __**PoisonousDemon **for your reviews_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Allen lay motionless on the comfy mattress, Lavi's arm draped heavily across his slender body in an act of comfort. He could hear the fading roar of the engines outside mingle with the gentle purring of Lavi's snoring, which should've comforted him even more, but Allen still found it hard to sleep. He should've known better than to believe that the mafia wouldn't play dirty tricks on him and Lavi. He hadn't told his partner just yet – he didn't have the heart to – but if it came to the end of the week and the article still wasn't published, then…

Allen screwed his eyes shut; he didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to imagine what Lavi's life would be like if he were gone. He knew he couldn't imagine a world without the eccentric redhead. There was a soft gurgle as Lavi rolled over, lifting his arm off Allen's torso and removing the protective cage it formed. There were a few moments of silence, and then Lavi sat up. He rubbed his eye sleepily before looking around at the blue darkness.

"Allen, you alright?" He whispered.

"I can't sleep," Allen replied simply.

There was a pause and then the redhead rolled onto his side, facing Allen. He put his arm around Allen's hip and brought him closer. Allen's breath was warm against his skin as he rested his chin on the top of the silky white mop of hair. He didn't close his eye until Allen was sleeping steadily. The white-haired man's eyes began to flutter closed as his breathing became a steady rattling from between his teeth.

Allen awoke alone the next morning; a post-it note on Lavi's bedside table was all he had by way of communication.

"Gone to work early to work on the article. Bring pancakes from IHOP. Love you. Lavi."

Allen groaned as he stretched his sleep-stiff muscles and climbed out of the bed. He padded towards Lavi's large mirror and inspected his sleep-deprived face; the deep purple bruise on his collar bone caught his attention every time as he ran a slim finger across the sore region. He opened his side of the wardrobe and pulled on a white shirt, before buttoning his favourite black waistcoat over the top, and slipped on a pair of pressed black trousers. He ran a comb through his hair and debated whether or not to tie it into a ponytail. He went against tying it up and grabbed all the essentials: his camera, keys, phone, and wallet, before slipping out of the apartment.

* * *

Howard Link could remember the day he joined Black Order Publishing; he'd left high-school with a 4.0 GPA and, with an interest in journalism, decided to intern at the local publishing company. He was appointed as Malcom C. Lvellie's assistant despite being adamant that he wanted to write stories for the magazines. Begrudgingly, he accepted the job when he realised he wouldn't get his desires. Over the time he had come to appreciate the job handed down to him, and Lvellie had asked him to stay on full-time as his assistant.

At first, he'd wanted to reject the offer and travel the world, but after a brief and, frankly, abusive conversation with his mother, he stayed on. He had no idea how much Lvellie valued him, and when he had overheard that he was going to inherit the company when Lvellie stepped down, he was elated.

He never got along with any of Ciancia's employees; they were rough and teasing. One of the star employees, with violently dyed red hair and an unforgettable eye patch, had also given him a nickname that he disliked and deemed rude.

"Hey, Two-spots!" he would say abrasively, after he pointed out that the poor German's birth mark was odd.

That redheaded fool made Link hate his job, and he had thought about quitting once or twice, but when he was informed by a lovely young lady at reception that giving nicknames was the redhead's job and it only meant that he found him likable, Link decided against quitting.

The young lady must've spoken to the redhead about it, too, because he came in with a large grin and two tickets to a baseball game and introduced himself as Lavi Bookman. Slowly but surely, Link found himself enjoying his company, and he became a lot more amiable towards the employees at Ciancia; in return he was invited out to parties and get-togethers with them.

Link didn't really have an opinion towards the new boy when he joined; at first he was envious of how quickly he melded into the crowd at Ciancia, but he realised that that was likely – he was working with them, after all. That's what Link had told Lvellie when his boss interrogated him on his views of Allen Walker and his arrival at the company.

"Why are you asking me this, sir?" Link asked in confusion. Lvellie's face twisted into a devious grin, and Link could feel his stomach sink as a nauseous and guilty feeling washed over him.

"I want you look after Walker, please, Link."

"Look after…?"

"You know, drop in once in a while, invite him and his blasted partner out to do whatever young men of your age do. Just be friendly towards him."

"… Why are you asking me to do _that_?"

Lvellie rose from his seat in an orderly fashion and strolled over to his window, occupying the avenue below; he watched the tiny ant-like people scurry from point A to point B without a care in the world. "I'll put it simply, Link. I despise that redhead, and I know he's plotting something. I want you to find out what and tell me about it so I can fire him and throw the good-for-nothing brat onto the street where he belongs!"

Link gulped as he pulled at the collar of his shirt awkwardly. "I'm not—"

"Are you going against an order, Link?" Lvellie questioned, his tone dark and menacing as he gave the young German a sideways glare.

"N-no, sir!"

"Excellent. Go introduce yourself, and tell them that you wish to do young, hip stuff with them." Lvellie sat in his chair and dismissed the young man with a wave of his large hand.

"H-how do I introduce myself without being suspicious, exactly?"

Lvellie sighed and ran his hand over his face before stroking his chin with a thoughtful finger. "I don't know, Link. Take a pie to the young man or something."

Link processed the order and excused himself from the older man's sights. With a sinister grin, Lvellie swivelled on his large, leather chair and looked out over Manhattan. The city skyline glowed from the rising sun as a flock of young birds flew from one of the trees in Central Park.

"I'll get you, Bookman, just you watch me."


	23. Chapter 23

_Hello Hello~! (Is this getting old yet? No? Alright!)_

_Thanks to__** ghostystarr59**, **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**, **PoisonousDemon**, and **CsillaDream** for your reviews!**  
**_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Allen tapped at his keyboard with a bored temperament. Lavi had disappeared to god-knows-where, leaving him surrounded by the constant humming of computer fans and clicking of keys, irritating him more and more as the persistent tick-tock of the office clock sounded that a minute had passed by. He was slightly passive about the fact that he had not received a cupcake or a coffee from Lou Fa this morning, but considering the circumstances, he was lucky to have her talk to him at all. He'd been a real jerk to her.

However, as he looked up and found that he was alone with her, now could be the time to apologise and right every wrong he had committed – only if Lou Fa would let him, that is. Refusing to back down, Allen stood up and crossed over to where Lou Fa was sat, researching on her computer, her back to him and, her attention focused on the screen. She must've felt a presence behind her because she turned around a few seconds later, her eyes widening at Allen before her face turned red in embarrassment.

"Can I help you?" She squeaked, trying to sound upset but instead coming off delighted.

"No," Allen began, taking Rikei's empty seat and sitting himself down beside the young girl. "I want to apologise."

Lou Fa didn't look up or say anything in response. Her slim, lady-like fingers clicked away at the keyboard with tepid speed. Allen didn't leave; he stayed in his seat and watched the girl work intently before sitting back and starting again.

"Thank you."

This time Lou Fa did turn around. "What for?"

"The presents every morning. They were really thoughtful and I appreciate them."

Lou Fa's blush intensified and she shrugged her shoulders. "It was nothing; it can be hard to be the new person, and I figured you needed a friend."

"I did," Allen stated. "And I have one. You, Lou Fa."

Lou Fa didn't say anything to white-haired boy. The heartache was numbing as her pulse drummed in her ears. She wanted to cry, she could tell; the stinging behind her eyes and the persistent lump in her throat were all too familiar.

"I'm sorry about everything. I'm sorry. I'm so, very sorry."

"I forgive you," she said in a tiny, whispering voice; her conscience called her a fool for forgiving too easily, but she wanted Allen to be by her side, she wanted Allen to see her – even if he was already looking at someone else.

That 'someone else' happened to walk right in on their moment, and Lou Fa felt as if she were two feet tall. Lavi's eye wasn't glaring at her; in fact, he was ignoring her very presence – or, at least, it felt that way. The redhead came over to where Allen was sitting and thrust a piece of paper into his face. The white-haired boy took it with delicate fingers and skimmed through the article, taking in every word: the images; the nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives on the page. "It's only the first draft, but what do you think?"

"It's good so far, Lavi," Allen replied with a strained smile, his joy dead behind his watering eyes. "It's great. When do you think you'll get it done?"

"By tomorrow, without a doubt!" Lavi announced confidently, a proud grin on his face as he leaned down to peck Allen's cheek. "Don't panic, I won't let you get hurt, I promise."

Allen had never felt so safe and secure in his life; Lavi was continuing to make the same promise, a promise that was heartfelt and honest. He smiled through the sadness and pain he felt inside. "I believe you."

"Oh, am I interrupting something?" A voice piped up from behind Lavi. The trio turned around to face the voice. A person Allen had never seen before was standing there, holding a box decorated with a local bakery's logo, an air of intimidation about him.

"Two-spots!" Lavi greeted amicably, patting the German's shoulder gently.

"Yes, hello, lovely to see you too, Lavi," Link greeted warmly, a tiny smile playing on his lips before he faced Allen and held the box out as an offering. "I got you an apple pie. I'm Howard Link; you may call me Link, please. I've come to say hello."

Allen stood up from the chair and took the box wearily, his mouth watering from the sweet, tangy aroma ascending from it. Lavi gazed at the box with a discreet look of need and want in his eye. Allen handed the box over to him and held out his hand for Link to take and shake, which he did with the firm handshake of a true businessman. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Link. I'm Allen Walker."

"Pleasure. I look forward to working with you."

Link quickly turned on his polished heel and marched out of the room, the stern expression on his face never faltering as he began to walk back up the stairs towards his office. Allen and Lavi shared panicked and puzzled looks as they realised their plan was falling to pieces. Lavi knew that with Lvellie's hawk watching them closely and analytically, it would be a lot harder to get Komui to agree to publish the article. But Lavi wasn't discouraged; he was never discouraged by obstacles in his way. He only had to look at Allen's face and he knew that everything would work out okay.

Lou Fa, who had been ignored for all of the conversation, stood up and made to leave the room. Allen placed a hand on her shoulder and held up the box containing the delicious-smelling pie. "Want a piece?"

Lou Fa accepted and sat back at her desk as Allen ran off to the staffroom to find some plates and napkins, leaving Lou Fa and Lavi alone in uncomfortable and rivalled silence.

"Listen," Lavi began. "I wanna apologise for last night—"

"It's fine, Allen's already done so," Lou Fa replied, looking at her lap and twiddling her thumbs – a habit she'd had since childhood for when she was stuck in stressful situations.

"Ah, I see."

It went deathly silent for an extremely long moment, and Lavi willed for Allen to return quickly, but he knew that if Lenalee – or, worse, her brother, Komui – were in the staffroom, the Brit would be held up for an excessive amount of time to catch up on idle chit-chat.

Lavi wondered why Link had made the effort to greet Allen with such an expensive pie – it came from a bakery all the way across Manhattan, and a well-known bakery at that. What was the motive? Lavi had a feeling that Link wasn't the mastermind behind this ploy. No, there had to be someone else pulling the strings, someone who was dabbling with the mafia – someone who wanted them gone.

Allen returned, moments later, with a posse of people behind him: Rikei, Bak, Lenalee, Miranda, Krory, Shifu, and Fou had followed the young man down the stairs. He smiled apologetically to Lavi and Lou Fa before shrugging his shoulders. "I had to tell them I needed plates for pie, and they all came down…" Allen looked around for a second before adding, "Well, all except for Kanda."

Lavi let out a laugh. "Yeah, Yuu's not too big on fun."

"Who's not too big on fun?" Kanda demanded, appearing behind the group with an angry expression. "And how many times do I have to tell you, idiot, not to call me that."

"Aww, but Yuu's so cute—" Kanda wrapped an around Lavi's neck as the redhead coughed and spluttered, patting his best friend's arm and coaxing his release. Allen opened the box and, with a sharp kitchen knife, he cut the pie up into 10 equal slices. Kanda's eyes scanned the area before his scowl became even darker, then he stormed over to his desk. Allen looked at his slice on the plate, the apple filling oozing out as the scent of honey and cinnamon greeted his eager senses, and walked over to Kanda's desk and placed it carefully beside his hand.

The Japanese man glared at it for a second before his glower turned to Allen. "I-I thought you might like some," Allen explained, shifting uncomfortably under the piercing gaze.

"I don't."

"B-but—"

"I said I don't want it, _beansprout_."

Allen stopped arguing. He'd never heard his nickname said with such maliciousness. Lavi had always been the one to give him the name, and the redhead had always said it in a light and friendly tone.

"Allen, come here!" Lenalee and Lavi beckoned him over with great smiles as the once-silent office came to life with the buzzing of conversation. Allen left the pie on Kanda's desk and walked away, joining his friends in the lively group. Lavi gave him a portion of his slice, and the white-haired boy happily ate from the redhead's fork, not realising that Lenalee had been watching and was now looking at them with an interested look.

"So, what's going on with you two, then?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. Allen and Lavi looked at each other with a guilty expression before giving in with a heavy exhale.

"We're just friends," Lavi justified, lying through his teeth.

"Right, right. 'Just friends'. That's a lame trick, Lavi. You two are way more than friends," she said, pointing an accusing finger at Lavi, jabbing it to his chest.

"Ow, hey! Okay, fine. We may be a little more than that, but—!" Lavi began when he saw the young girl beginning to react to the news. "—no one knows, and we'd like to keep it that way for the time being."

Lenalee pulled her finger and thumb over her mouth, signing a zipping motion across her lips, and winked at the two before joining in the conversation behind her with an enthusiastic smile. Allen watched as his friends laughed and talked and joked with each other. The darkness that he'd dug himself into in loneliness didn't seem so dark anymore.


	24. Chapter 24

_Hello Hello~! Welcome to the penultimate chapter. That's right folks, everything will be all tied up on Friday with the final chapter._

_Thanks to__** fullmetal96100 **and **CsillaDream** for your reviews!**  
**_

_And of course, thanks to those who favourited and alerted._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

The following morning was a dreary, colourless grey, as rain pelted hard against the window panes of Black Order Publishing, drumming to the steady beat of the thunder that was soon to arrive. Allen and Lavi climbed the steps to Komui's office with a heavy, sick feeling at the pit of their stomachs, their feet like lead as they thumped against every step in synchronised fashion. The boss was probably in by now, as the clock had chimed 9 not too long ago; Komui wasn't a very punctual person, but was always in his office by then. They passed Reever along the staircase as the Australian retreated for a cigarette break in the parking lot, Lavi agitatedly longing to join him. They strolled up to the door of Komui's office, knocked simultaneously, and waited with impatience.

"Enter!"

Lavi went in first, leaving the door open for his boyfriend as the two marched up to Komui's desk. Lavi slapped the completed article onto the Chinese man's desk and gave him a stern and serious look. The dark-haired man took it eagerly and skimmed through it; his dark eyes widened considerably as he read further. His glasses caught the light from his overhead lamp and hid his expression. Once he was done, the article was placed considerately beside him, his head bowed low.

"Boys, are you aware of what you're accusing Mr Lvellie of here?" Komui asked after a strained moment of silence and thought.

"Yes," Lavi answered instantly, his hand never leaving Komui's desk.

"You are aware that if I put this through for publishing, your jobs will be on the line, and will – without a doubt – be lost?"

"Yes." Allen answered this time, his arms folded over his chest authoritatively.

Komui sank back in his chair, his eyes still hidden from the glare on his lenses as he pursed his lips in thought. "Is everything here 100% true?"

"From a reliable source," Lavi lied, grabbing Allen's hand for support and squeezing it gently, catching Komui's attention.

Komui stared at the conjoined hands for a few seconds before sitting up at the desk and raising his head, a small smile on his face. "I may be stupid to accept this, but… I want that man gone just as much as you do."

Lavi stood back from the desk, and a relieved look washed over his serious features, but his grip on Allen's hand never loosened. "So, that's a yes?"

"That's a yes." Komui's fingers laced together, certainty written within his dark eyes as his smile became broad and amiable.

* * *

Allen's heartbeat would not calm down. He was elated at having the weight thrust from his shoulders, but as Lavi's lips travelled from his mouth to his neck, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

"Lavi, there are cameras," Allen moaned as he felt the redhead's fingers undo his buttons swiftly and his teeth bite the flesh above his collar bone, leaving a very noticeable red mark.

"And?" Lavi groaned into the white-haired boy's neck as he thrust his hips against Allen's, begging for contact and friction. His hand slammed against the panel of the elevator, hitting the stop button. The elevator halted without a jerk.

Allen's head fell back against the metallic wall of the elevator as he felt Lavi's hand travel under his shirt and run his palm over Allen's chest and torso.

"La-aah," Allen gasped as that hand slid under the belt of his trousers and grasped at the flesh beneath.

Link returned to his desk after running a pastry errand for his boss, sitting down quietly and checking through security footage – he had to make sure that the employees were in line, as Lvellie had always said when he assigned him the job, though Link always believed that checking through footage was beneath him. His eyes were drawn instantly to the elevator 1 camera footage. Two people were currently immersed in a very erotic game with their hands and lips. Link squinted as he watched, trying to make out who the two people were, and sat back with a cry. It was Allen and Lavi. And what was Lavi doing with his mou— Oh!

Link stood up from his seat in desperation, wondering what he should do; should he inform Lvellie about the… activities that appeared to be going on inside the elevator, or should he just ignore it and play a blind eye to anything?

Whatever he chose, he knew he wouldn't be able to look at the pair the same way again – the dirty jokes they made during breaks would have an underlying meaning to him now, and the looks they shared when they were together – Link stopped. _Surely, the looks the two shared should've made it__ a little more obvious_, he thought. He knew there was something strange going on between them, but he had just assumed it was to do with the beautiful Lenalee at reception – Allen had taken to her quite warmly.

He sat back down at his desk with determination, closed the screen, and ignored his conscience, which was telling him he was a traitor to his boss. Without reason, he stood from his desk once more and made his way to the staffroom to grab a coffee and clear his head.

The elevator's bell sounded to announce to the two that they had arrived at their destination; Allen zipped his trousers up quickly as Lavi wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before giving the Brit a sly grin, which the boy quickly ignored with flushed cheeks. They walked together into the staffroom, desiring a cup of black coffee before their happy announcement to everyone in the office.

"Link!" Allen greeted cheerfully when he saw the blond German making his own coffee in haste. The boy looked up, met the wide silver eyes of the young man, and turned red in embarrassment, turning away quickly and mumbling something under his breath. Allen and Lavi shared a similar look of questioning before the redhead grabbed two mugs and began to pour the ready-made black liquid into each of them quickly.

"Walker, may I speak to you for a moment?" Link whispered, his eyes never meeting the Brit's.

"S-sure?"

"What is your relationship with Bookman?"

"Relationship?" Allen's cheeks tinged pink slightly before he lied straight through his white teeth. "We're just friends."

"Walker, I saw you and him…" Link trailed off, not wanting to confirm what he had seen, but he knew by the awkward look on the white-haired boy's face he hadn't needed to go into detail – he knew exactly what he meant.

"O-oh… Er…" Allen shifted uncomfortably on his feet, not wanting to give a straight answer, exactly, but unsure of what to say. Fortunately, his phone began to ring and broke the thick silence between Allen and the German as the former excused himself from the staff room. He answered his phone quickly. "Yes?"

"Morning, boy."

"Tyki."

"You don't sound very happy to see me," Tyki said through what Allen imagined to be a slick and crafty smile. "I've only called to check how it's coming along; you only have 3 days left, after all."

"It's been accepted for publishing, it should be out by Monday morning. Is that okay?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and a discreet whisper hissed through the long silence. "Yes" was all Tyki said before he hung up without a goodbye. Allen glared at his phone for a few minutes before Lavi walked out of the staffroom with the two coffees.

"You alright?" he asked, handing Allen his mug with a concerned look.

Allen didn't answer right away; he wasn't quite sure what the agreement from Tyki and his unknown boss meant, but it had to be a good thing, surely. With a bright smile, he took the mug and kissed Lavi on the cheek. "Yup."

Lavi grinned in return as he climbed up the stairs towards the Ciancia office, where he would announce that not only had the article been accepted, and everyone was in the clear – which was met with much enthusiasm and applause – but also that he and Allen had begun to date one another – which was met with thoughtful silence before a resounding series of congratulations and handshakes from all but two. Kanda almost patted Lavi's shoulder, but moved his hand before contact could even be made and instead gave Allen a dark look, causing the Brit to feel two inches tall. Lou Fa gave the two congratulations later on in the day in private; she was smiling through tears and wished the two all the luck in the world, which Allen returned wholeheartedly.


	25. Chapter 25

_And here we are. The final chapter._

_I want to thank each and everyone of you from the bottom of my heart, I really do. Your support means everything to me. _

_Thanks to **z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**, **Reina Ariadne**, **PoisonousDemon**, and **ghostystarr59** for your reviews.  
_

_And thanks to:_

_**ChaoticHunter**, __**CrownClown**, __**CsillaDream**, __**Funny9000**, __**Gallifreyan Annihilator**, __**Gesshoku2**, __**Hanashi o suru**, __**PoisonousDemon**, __**RavenShine**, __**Reina Ariadne**, __**animegirl1363**, __**blueeyedcorpse**, _**_dendodge_**_,__**fallendestinyxx**, __**fullmetal96100**, __**otouki1337**, __**purplekittyspaw**, __**the lovely dissidia characters**, __**vampirelover67171**, __**xxHinaAngelxx**, __**z67ywkvp dite kurea-chan**, __**AU Queen**, __**Completely Unstable**, __**Envyyyy**, __**Error101**, __**INvipSPIRIT**, __**LastTyme**, __**SilverLegacy7**, __**Timeless Moment**, __**XxCapturetheLightxX**, __**XxXFoxieXxX**, __**azumesta**, __**ghostystarr59**,__**icy-reality**,__**lolipopcandylala**,__**neverstopkeepwalking**, and __**orlyorly**._

_Thank you to dendodge for betaing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

_Enjoy!_

_P.S. Stay tuned for an announcement at the end!_

* * *

The weekend went by relaxingly; the rain was persistent, but that didn't bother Allen nor Lavi, as the pair spent the two days in their bedroom, leaving only to procure food and drinks before returning to the hidden activities behind a closed door.

Monday greeted the exhausted and well-sexed pair like a slap to the face. They didn't want to leave the safe confines of their bed and their bodies, until the redhead climbed out unwittingly and began to dress himself, coaxing his boyfriend to do the same, only to receive a mechanical 'no' in reply.

He had won in the end, however, and they travelled to work, the pure white snow turning grey and seeping into the drains beneath their feet. Gloved hands were clasped together as they walked slowly, admiring the white sun and grey-blue sky dotted with pure, fluffy clouds. As they reached their workplace, they were greeted with a parked police car stationed outside. They shared a curious look.

It wasn't until they had gone inside that they grasped the full situation. Two police officers were apprehending their former CEO with authority as they led him down from his office, passing the two commuters who were making their way up. Malcolm's face went red and his eyes turned livid, his mouth turning into an aggressive snarl.

"You two!" he yelled, saliva flying from his lips as his expression became even more outraged the longer he stared at the apathetic expressions of his employees. "I'll get you for this!"

"Sir!" one officer commanded as his grip on the older man's arm tightened considerably. Soon the man had left the building and was carted off to New York Police Department where his fate awaited him.

"Did we miss something?" Lavi joked as he entered the main office, everyone accounted for and gossiping amongst themselves.

"Apparently, someone tipped the police off about Mr Lvellie's business with the mafia, and when your article was publishing this morning, they came to arrest him," Link informed the two from the doorway; his expression was unreadable, but his heart was doing flips inside his chest – he had a heavy burden to bear as the new CEO of the company at such a young age.

"You should've seen it, Lavi. They came in here and asked if Malcolm Lvellie was present – Komui told them that he was currently in his office, and then all you could hear was scuffling and shouts until they brought him down the stairs," Lenalee said, her mind still not catching up to the events that had just happened. "He was cursing and everything, and even said 'Bookman will rue the day!' as he was taken downstairs, it was quite a show."

There was a hum of agreement from the others as Lavi and Allen began to undress themselves of their winter coats, scarves, and gloves before delving further into the office gossip. Link made a move to speak to Allen and Lavi on their recent yoyo between unemployment and rehiring. Lvellie had found out about the article from Link on the Saturday and, with a delighted smile, he fired the two with little regret. However, when the boss had been arrested for criminal activity and was no longer in charge, Link couldn't find a reason to keep the two dismissed and rehired them with haste. In the end, the young CEO deemed it unnecessary to rain on the duo's parade as he stood back and watched the group converse.

"I hope you're ready for this," Komui said to Link with a sympathetic look on his face.

Link didn't say anything in return and stalked back up the stairs to his office. His fingers stroked his old desk with melancholy; he'd have to hire an assistant just like Lvellie hired him, but that could wait – right now, he had to let the group celebrate and wonder whilst he appointed himself the job of ridding the company of bad press.

* * *

As the day chimed on, things almost returned to normal; Allen and Kanda started a heated argument in the middle of the office over who had eaten the last of the doughnuts Komui had bought to congratulate the company. Lavi broke the fight up quickly, and then promised the Brit that he would buy Krispy Kreme doughnuts later to make up for it. Allen then begrudgingly apologised to the Japanese man, who grunted and left the office to cool his nerves.

Allen's phone went off a little after lunch, while he was busy reading articles on Lvellie's arrest online. With a groan, he answered it, and was met with a very simple "Meet me outside."

He didn't go alone – Lavi wouldn't let him. Together they left the building, wrapped up in coats, Lavi's favourite orange scarf around Allen's neck as they looked up and down West End Avenue, not sure what they were expecting to see.

"Behind you," a voice murmured, and the two whirled around quickly, coming face-to-face with Tyki in disguise. His thick rimmed glasses caught the wintery sunlight as a cigarette hung from his pale lips.

Lavi quickly dug around in his pockets, pulled out a carton of his own, and lit up his cigarette. He let out a very appreciative exhale, the smoke curling in the cool, frosted air; Allen twitched his nose in disgust.

"Can we help you, Tyki?" Allen asked sharply.

"Yeah, we printed the article. It's done," Lavi added, in between hasty inhalations of the cigarette between his ungloved fingers.

"Yes, I'm aware. I just came to thank you, and apologise." Tyki trailed off for a moment before removing the limp cigarette from his mouth and kissing Allen's hand with a charming smile. Lavi glared at the beautiful Portuguese man. "Congratulations on your article. Though you are not out of the woods entirely."

"Allen!" A feminine voice called out from among the throngs of people in the street as Road ran down towards the two, wrapping her arms around the Brit's neck affectionately. "I was hoping to see you again!"

"Aah, Road, so nice to see you." Allen reached back for Lavi, who took his hand quickly with his own and held it up for Road to see.

She took a moment to digest what was being wordlessly said to her, before stumbling back as if she had been shot. "Oh… I see…"

Tyki let out a chuckle and threw the cigarette butt to the floor, stepping on it with his Converse before taking another one and lighting it. "Don't worry, kiddo, I'm just as heartbroken as you are."

Allen shot the dark-haired man a dirty look before he removed Road's arms from their hold around his neck. "Road, what are you doing here?"

"I need Lavi to write a new article saying that I'm not dating my uncle!" She jabbed her thumb at the actor beside her with a pout. Lavi almost swallowed his cigarette in surprise as he looked up at Road, his expression showing his obvious forgetfulness.

"Ah, yes. That."

"Yes. That," Road echoed, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm free Wednesday. I'll come then. Be ready for me!" With a swift peck on Allen's unaware cheek, she skipped down the slushed pavement and climbed into the back of a white limousine.

"Well, this is adieu," Tyki said, his hands sliding into his pockets. "I wish you well for your future."

"And you, Tyki," Allen returned with a genuine smile, taking Lavi's hand once more and smiling at his boyfriend.

Tyki palmed his face in frustration before walking down the street and also climbing into the back of the limo. Allen and Lavi looked at each other and both exhaled deeply, relief finally freeing them from their shackles of fear.

"I'm starved," Lavi groaned, looking at his watch and realising that the lunch period was over. "We have no work. Let's go to Pizza Hut!"

Allen agreed, feeling the hunger emerge from his stomach as the two walked hand-in hand, snowflakes falling upon them like confetti from the grey clouds above as they cut across towards Central Park. They admired the naked trees and the green grass poking out from beneath the snow. Though spring was still to come, Allen was sure it could only bring happiness with it.

_~Fin~_

* * *

_Well, that's that. The end._

_Or so you thought. _

_As I may have leaked to some of you, I am currently writing the sequel. As of now, [16/07/13] it is currently 9 chapters long, and I'm expecting it to be about as long if not longer than this story._

_Now... the question of: The plot of the sequel?_

_I'll give you some hints._

_Think of the place setting for this story. Think of the main couple. And think of a recent event that happened in said story setting._

_And voila, you have your answer._

_I don't have a precise date of release as I'm currently writing another story for another fandom with another pairing (and a free cookie to anyone who can work out the fandom.) But it will be soon._

_Alright! Thanks for reading folks, see you next time~!_


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